Special Bond
by Sync.am
Summary: Izuku Midoriya never had a best friend. At least, not one that thought the same of him. What happens when he finally snaps? When his true feelings come to light? When special bonds are formed...and broken. Follow A Special Bond - a semi-canon compliant story which will focus mainly on Izuku and Uraraka's growing relationship throughout MHA
1. Pain and Guilt

_Pain_.

Ever since he was a small child, that was the one thing Izuku Midoriya could always rely on. Whether it was the pain he felt as he sobbed for hours at the reality of his quirkless-ness. Or the dozens of times Kacchan had shoved him to the ground and laughed at his misfortunes. Even his mother's tears as she held him, unable to truly bring him what he wanted, brought him so much pain. Through his life pain had been a recurring feeling. It was something always there, in small or large quantities, it nearly grounded him to the fact that he was normal. Everyone experienced pain - those with a quirk, and those without one. That idea helped him throughout the years.

But still, he found it a little odd that the pain he was experiencing now was the only thing keeping him alive. For some reason, he was so glad that it was there. He felt it in every cell of his body. As he leaned his shoulder gently on the charred tree, he winced at the contact. But that bit of adrenaline he received from his neurons firing, kept him going. He _needed_ to keep moving. Thankfully, his legs weren't nearly as damaged as his arms.

_Start running_

The blood that stained the blackened oak was the only thing that was left behind. He sprinted as fast as he could. In his tired state, it felt faster then he had ever gone before. Tired legs pushed into the ground with all their might. He bobbed through trees and bushes, noticing how his quirk was getting harder and harder to maintain. Like a constant pressure wrapping around his tendons, begging to be relieved.

He had just left Kota with Mr. Aizawa - having no choice but to turn right around and race back into the fray of action. He moved towards the battlegrounds to deliver his message. He _needed_ to get there. Two broken arms flailed behind him, bruises scattered his chest, and his ragged breathing hinted at broken ribs.

It didn't matter, the information he had was too important for a few injuries to stop him. Still, the screaming sting coming from his arms was keeping him awake. It might have been the air whizzing past the torn flesh, or maybe it was his bone fragments grinding against each other. But it somehow trumped any type of pain he had felt before. Nothing but purple skin kept the ligaments in place, almost acting like bandages trying to hold together entire limbs.

His fight with Muscular had been much, _much_ more taxing than he had originally thought. He recognized that he was still a hero in training. He only had his quirk for a few months and he still wasn't capable of much. But not once did he expect that man to be able to withstand a 100% punch. The same punch that was supposed to be on par with All Might. The very thought that there existed a singular quirk with the same strength as One for All, it was bone-chilling.

Question littered his mind - How was he able to draw more than 100%? How did he not completely blow his arm off? He had no answers to these thoughts but they were enough to keep his mind occupied as he ran.

Turning down one last narrow pathway, he finally reached the clearing where Mandalay along with two other Pussycats battled the villains. Taking in his surroundings, he immediately noticed that Pixie-Bob was taken out of commission. Mandalay seemed to be struggling to land a blow on one of the villains (who seemed awfully familiar to Izuku) while Tiger had been doing considerably better. He couldn't find Rag Doll, maybe she was with some of his classmates.

With no further time to ponder, he launched into a flying drop kick - shattering the reptile villain's sword and jaw. He landed in a staggered motion - surprised at his ability to still fight. Mandalay acted fast, quickly subduing the villain completely. As she looked towards him, his current condition brought a look of shock and horror across her face.

"Midoriya!? You need to go back to the camp and have your wounds treated, you look ready to pass out!" Mandalay all but screamed as she quickly examined his arms. She noted how they were nearly torn to shreds - and had to resist the urge to carry him herself back.

"There's no time!" Izuku fired up One for All to 6% unknowingly, "Kota is safe! But I need you to relay two messages!"

* * *

Having just dealt with "Physco teeth guy" as his partner for the forest walk had lovingly pointed out, Todoroki and Bakugou walked further down the circular path. The air had a fog that brought them nothing but an eerie feeling. They could tell something more was up then a singular villain encounter. "We should hurry, we don't know if any other villains are in the vicinity." Todoroki pointed out, noticing this first and starting to run down the dark path.

"Don't tell me what to do IcyHot!" Bakugou clenched his teeth as he begrudgingly met Todoroki's pace. The two ran through the forest with no real objective, other than to get back to camp and figure out what the hell was going on. Technically they weren't allowed to engage with villains, but self-defense was another story. Aside from the normal worrying - Todoroki could help but think of one question. Explosions, random villains - _wasn't this place supposed to be a secret?_

Out of nowhere, a loud explosion sounded from Bakugou's palm - and he launched himself above the tree line to survey the area. Todoroki instinctively stopped and waited for him to relay his findings. Eyes shifting left and right, Bakugou shot explosion after explosion as he hovered over the forest. Flashes of green electricity from atop a mountain caught the blonde's attention. He immediately turned towards the sparks, but an explosion that encapsulated almost the entire cliff-side with smoke had jolted him back slightly.

"Bakugou! What was that noise?!" Todoroki turned towards the direction of the sound.

'_Deku_?' Bakugo thought, narrowing his vision as the smoke cleared from the mountainside. A pang of worry uncharacteristically shot through him, but it didn't stick around for long. Todoroki watched as he fell through the sky. Immediately he noticed a slightly worried look on the boy's face, but it was hard to tell as a wash of anger clouded his emotions.

"I think that idiot nerd got himself into a fight, he might need our help come on." Bakugou's feet hit the ground and he took off towards the smoke.

Todoroki followed after almost immediately, but he was admittedly taken back by the seriousness Bakugou had expressed over Midoriya. It had been very uncharacteristic but he decided quickly that now was not the time to ponder over trivial things. If Midoriya was really in trouble, he would be there for him. He considered Midoriya to be one of his closest friends, he had helped him grasp his own reality, Todoroki would not let the boy down.

Uraraka kneeled over the insane, bloodthirsty Toga. Her hand squeezed the girl's wrist while the other clenched down on her neck. Squirming with all her might, Toga fought her captor - but Uraraka tightened her grip even further causing the girl to let out a tiny hiss of displeasure,

"Hehehe..." Toga turned her head upwards, "I know you - Ochako was it?"

Uraraka gulped at the mention of her first name, "Ugh, shut up!"

"Aww don't be mean Ochako!" Toga squirmed under her grip once more, "You have the same smell as me! You're wonderful...you _like_ someone right?"

Eyes widening, Uraraka had to restrain herself - she was just trying to get to her, "Tsu! You ok?"

"Yah! Kero," Asui was busying untangling her hair from the jagged knife Toga had pinned her with, "almost down."

"You want to be like that person right?" Uraraka felt a small blush come to her cheeks, "Right? You're a maiden like me so I can tell!"

As she was distracted by Toga's words, she felt a sharp pain in her left thigh. Her grip slipped slightly at the feeling.

"Suck...suck...suck...suck" Toga cooed as a blush crept onto her face as well.

"What the..." Uraraka hissed flinching, only to be cut off by a large body crashing into hers. She fell back, releasing Toga in the process.

"What the fuck!" Bakugou screamed as he held his head in one hand slowly standing up.

Todoroki ran out of the woods to find Uraraka and Bakugou both on the floor. Bakugou had already been standing up but Uraraka seemed more rocked. His first thought was to run over and see if she was ok, so he did. He gently helped her sit up - and he quickly realized that Bakugou had been running and crashed into Uraraka. Unfortunately, this let the villain Uraraka had subdued to quickly get up and backflip away from the hero's in training.

All of a sudden, Mandalay's voice rang through their heads, "Attention all UA students, by word of Eraser-head you are all granted permission to use your quirk to fight the villains. And one more thing! The villains seem to be after a student named Kacchan! Your goal is to get back to the camp and watch out as they may be after more than one student!"

Todoroki took note of Mandalay's message but was snapped out of his thoughts by Uraraka.

"Ugh...what the hell Bakugou!" Uraraka scanned her surroundings to find Toga near the tree-line, "Hurry, get her!"

Todoroki jumped into action and shot ice through the air, encapsulating the blonde freak. He was about to rush forward but before he could, he was cut off by a large tower of bright blue flames. The heat singed his clothes, nearly burning his skin. Through the flames, he could make out a black figure.

An eerie chill shot through his back - _who the hell was that?_

* * *

Izuku laid on top of Shoji as the real pain from his injuries finally started to catch up to him. His arms had gone completely numb by now. His legs were not _totally _damaged, but his energy levels were so low - he didn't think he would be able to move if he tried. He sent a silent thank you to All Might when Tokoyami had been able to gain back control of dark shadow all on his own. He was shocked that he was able to, but luckily Tokoyami knew dark shadow better than anyone. And he had been training for this specific event just recently. Luckily, the one thing that worked on Dark Shadow was the word of his friends being in danger.

The three were now traveling down a path towards the main camp. They were all worried about the others, but none of them had the necessary power or energy to help. Tokoyami and Dark Shadow were high risks, as Dark shadow could lose control once again at any moment. Izuku was out of the fight, his energy levels were shot. Shoji was capable enough, but he was occupied with helping him move. They were in shambles, to say the least.

Rounding one last corner the three stopped dead in their tracks.

_Destruction_

His eyes watched in horror as red flames battled blue. Blood painted the murky green grass. Todoroki and another figure stood in the middle of the flames and burning trees. Seemingly having a conversation - he couldn't hear it. Tokoyami was taken back by the battle, ice shot forward only to be immediately melted by scolding blue flames. Shooting flame after flame, Todoroki struggled to maintain his ground in the battle. It was to no avail. His opponent had simply parried the fire with his own. Izuku immediately took note of the lack of his other classmates. He knew for sure that Kacchan and Todoroki had been partners during the activity. _But where is he then?_ That question was quickly shelved as a flash of blue light left Shoji and Tokoyami completely immobilized, and turned into two bright blue marbles laying on the ground.

Izuku fell right off of Shoji, face-first onto the charred stained grass. His instincts kicked in, and he instantaneously rolled to the right evading another blue flash that would have left him marbleized as well. Rolling over once more, the young Izuku was able to catch a glimpse of the source. A man in a large yellow coat, with a mask, and a rather odd hat. His eyes widened as yet another blue flash traveled towards him.

_'Move Izuku!'_

The flash was seconds away, but his energy was almost completely shocked.

_'You have to move!'_

The boy's willpower may have been strong, but he simply could not muster the energy to move his body. The flash had been inches away from his face, and he was sure that he had failed. He closed his eyes waiting for his coming demise. That is...until a body crashed into his, hugging Izuku's bloody form, and rolling away from the danger.

Opening his eyes, Izuku saw his savior. It was Uraraka. She had dove over him and rolled him out of the way. A large wall of orange flames shot up in between the villain and the two young heroes. Bakugou then appeared next to Uraraka and the rag doll that was Izuku.

"We have to get him back to camp! Help me out here!" Uraraka called out to the pissed off Bakugou.

"Take him yourself! I'm helping IcyHot kill these bastards!" The explosive boy screamed, tossing the marbleized Shoji and Tokoyami towards the girl.

Bakugou flew towards the villains prompting Izuku to scream back, "NO! _KACCHAN_! THEY'RE AFTER YOU!"

His brown-haired friend shared a similar outburst, "BAKUGOU! YOU IDIOT! YOU'RE THEIR TARGET!" This fell on deaf ears, however, as Bakugou continued to blast off towards the villains. Focusing on the task at hand, Ochako grabbed Izuku's bruised chest and heaved him up to a standing position. This caused the young hero to almost get a second wind. He stood up on his own two legs, with help from Uraraka, and looked towards the battle.

He noticed Uraraka ripping her pink top off, too battered to even become flustered, he simply leaned against the girl. His body ached, his arms completely numb, there wasn't much he could do here. Uraraka was now only wearing a sports bra but realized that now wasn't the time to worry about being embarrassed. She quickly made splints for his two arms, as well as supporting him while he struggled to stay upwards.

"U...Uraraka! We need, to help Kacchan!" Izuku coughed out as Ochako started to help walk him through the forest back to camp.

"We can't right now Deku. We have to get you and these guys back to camp." Ochako explained holding out three marbles, which consisted of Shoji, Tokoyami and Asui. "And besides, the villain Todoroki was fighting backed off so I'm sure he's helping Bakugou." Ochako seemed to have some logic behind her words, but even _she_ was worried, silently wondering if she should have stayed and helped.

He wanted to fight back on her claims, however sound and logical they were. He just wanted to help his friends. Unfortunately after cranking out more than 100% of One for All, suffering extreme damage, _and_ sprinting a few miles, Izuku could simply not stay awake any further.

He slumped off of Ochako's body and fell face forward onto the ground.

_"DEKU!"_

* * *

_\- Beep -_

...Stiffness...

_\- Beep -_

...Paralyzed?

_\- Beep -_

...No...

_\- Beep -_

...

_\- Beep -_

...

_\- Beep -_

...

_\- Beep -_

...

_\- Beep -_

"Midoriya?"

_\- Beep -_

"Can you try opening your eyes?"

_\- Beep -_

"Midoriya?"

His eyes shot open and he quickly sat straight up in his hospital bed. This was a _terrible_ mistake_._ His head immediately raged with pain, and falling back onto the hospital bed with a low groan - his hands grasped at his forehead.

"Deku be careful! Don't strain yourself!"

_That familiar voice calling out from the left of him..._Uraraka_?_ Ugh, his head. His eyes spun as the rush subsided, finally, his gaze fell on the people standing around him. A nurse that seemed a few years older than himself stood on the right of his bed. She was fiddling with his IV drip. Looking to the front of his bed Izuku saw a good majority of his class. Iida stood closest, Kirishima stood right behind him, while the rest were scattered. Everyone except Uraraka, Momo, Todoroki, Jirou, Hagakure and Bakugou were there.

He found that one of his missing class members, Uraraka to be specific, was standing to the left of him. She had a look of worry mixed with glee on her face, and it made a small tint of red glisten over Izuku's, barely noticeable unless one were right in front of him. The nurse slowly helped him sit up, while Uraraka simultaneously propped his pillow up behind him. The nurse proceeded to leave with her clipboard to go and get the doctor, as for the rest of Class 1-A, they filled in around the recovering boy's bed.

"Midoriya? Are you feeling ok? We heard that you took down a villain with incredible strength, and that's how you got your wounds." Kirishima asked impatiently, as his thoughts ran through his head faster then Iida could. These thoughts projected the rest of Class 1-A's, none of them really felt like speaking up however. They simply waited for Izuku to speak

"Umm, y-yah. I was able to take down one of the villains with a muscle quirk, I-I think his name was Muscular." Izuku explained a little slower than his usual quickened analytical pace.

Kaminari's face showed a deep look of fear, "M-M-Muscular? H-He's..."

"A very high ranking villain," Mina finished with a serious tone, "no wonder you got so beat up."

The whole class seemed to share the same emotion, everyone looked shocked, even Izuku himself. The realization of how dangerous his fight had been hit him like a truck. The reliable adrenaline coursing through his body hid his fear and pain at the moment, but that energy was almost all used up.

"W-Wait! Where is the rest of the class? Jirou? Todoroki? Momo, Hagakure... a-and Ka-Kacchan?" Izuku noted their absence, extremely worried for his friends.

"Jirou and Hagakure were knocked out by a gas substance that one of the villains used," Iida answered rather stoically.

"They're in recovery right now, but the doctor said they should be fine kero." Asui added with a look of gloom on her face.

Izuku noticed this but chose not to mention it, he pushed further, "And what about the others?"

"W-Well, Momo was pretty hurt...but she should be fine, we just came from her room." Sero explained, holding his head down low as if he was afraid to go on.

"W-What about Todoroki and Kacchan?! Why is no one telling me what happened to them?" Izuku pushed with hints of anger, he wanted desperately to know what happened to his friends.

Kirishima stepped closer to Izuku, his face filled to the brim with pure sadness. Tears welled around his eyes, something Izuku never had seen before from his rough classmate. This was unusual for Kirishima as he prided himself on his manliness. Izuku did not like this, "Kirishima? What happened to them?" His classmates acting like _this _was _not_ a good sign, and Uraraka had been unusually quiet this entire time.

"Todoroki and Bakugou...they...they were in a _really_ intense battle. Mr. Aizawa...he told us they fought off three villains, just the two of them. In the end though...Todoroki was injured, very badly. He's in emergency care right now and they don't know if he will make it." Kirishima squeezed out trying to hold back his tears and failing.

Izuku's eyes widened, Todoroki had been the strongest in their class. _How could he lose?_ _How strong were the villains?_ Izuku remembered back to what the villain had told them about their goals. To capture Kacchan...

_Kacchan_

Before he could ask, a singular sob filled the silence that was once present in the hospital room. That sob came from Kirishima, but he wasn't the only one crying.

Uraraka's fists were clenched at her sides, and tears fell onto the floor as she looked towards her feet.

The rest of the class didn't fare any better, their expressions showed extreme sadness, and before he knew it, he himself had tears brimming his eyes.

"B-Bakugou...was captured by the villains!"

Izuku Midoriya did not have the best reaction to the news he had learned earlier that day. To say the least, he was upset. He blamed himself. If he had just been faster, if he had been stronger, he could have helped Todoroki and Kacchan fight off the villains. Then _he_ wouldn't be gone.

Kirishima had pushed through tears and emotions to let the whole class know of his plan to get his best friend back. How Momo had placed a tracker on one of the Nomus, and how he planned to go that night to get him back. Iida and Asui disagreed immediately. Asui preached how they would all be breaking the rules, and how even though she wanted to get Bakugou back, this wasn't the way to do it.

Iida followed a similar argument.

Uraraka however, was very eager to follow this plan. She expressed how, although very dangerous, the smallest bit of help could change the tide in the end game. She believed that if they went, there would be a better chance of Bakugou being brought back alive. She _did _mention how he probably would not want their help, but it didn't matter in the end because he would take it from the one person he was closest too. Kirishima.

Izuku had to agree.

How could he not? This was Kacchan. Sure, he might not be so fond of Izuku, but the green-haired boy was not one to turn down saving anybody. Especially a friend. _Especially _Kacchan.

He might have been his bully. He might have been the reason he hated himself for so long. Kacchan might have been the source of most of Izuku's problems throughout his youth. But it didn't matter - he still cared for him.

He and Iida shared an intense gaze with each other. A silent conversation, one that reminded Izuku of his previous encounters, and his previous warnings. In particular, their fight with Stain. He could tell what this was, they had been instructed before _not_ to do the exact thing he _wanted_ to do. Iida knew this...he was the only one here who knew this.

He met Iida's gaze with a confident look, "If we can rescue him without harming the villains with our quirks, technically we won't be breaking any rules in that regard. Kirishima will be going anyways, so as classmates we need to back him up. For Kacchan. Who's with us." He had spoken with confidence.

In the end, Himself, Uraraka, Kirishima, Momo, and a reluctant Iida, bent on making sure his friends did not get into too much trouble, had decided to join the Bakugou rescue mission. After the class had left the broken boys room; them having made plans to meet up that night, Uraraka decided to stay behind and keep him company.

She had joined Izuku on his bed, the two waited for the doctor to come back and remove the boy's casts. Sitting cross-legged from each other, the two chatted over light-hearted topics, trying to brighten their spirits. Both looked tired, they _were_ tired, emotionally, and physically. And yet, they talked with vigor, not showing any exhaustion whatsoever.

"I'm serious Deku! It's insane that you were able to take down such a crazy strong villain!" Ochako pushed back after he had turned down her compliments once more.

The two were in a conversation revolving around his fight with Muscular. Ochako had _insisted_ that it must have been legendary. For him to break two arms and _STILL_ win against the villain was simply unimaginable.

"It really wasn't Uraraka, really!" He pushed back once more. Of course, he hadn't done anything special. If not for Koda, he might not be alive. He relied on someone else once more to win. That's how he saw it. He'd rather be praising her, Todoroki, Bakugou, and the teachers for fighting off the villains in the middle of the woods at a disadvantage.

"You should really be praising yourself, Todoroki, and Bakugou. You acted so professionally in the situation! They fought off three members of the league of villains by themselves!" Izuku exclaimed, shifting the tone of the conversation substantially.

He soon realized his mistake by the look in her eyes.

"Ya...they really _were_ great, huh?" Uraraka said dipping her head down, clenching the brim of her shirt.

He noticed her mood shift and immediately went to apologize. He too had been upset at the events that had unfolded, although it probably seemed like he was taking it a bit better. Before he could apologize for bringing it up, however, Uraraka let out a loud sob as tears flowed from her eyes. His own eyes widened.

It took a moment for the tears to come - but after a few seconds, the dams broke. She began to cry, sobbing uncontrollably, "It's all my fault! If I would have stayed and helped them fight Bakugou wouldn't be kidnapped! And Todoroki wouldn't be in the ER!"

He wanted to cry with her, wanted to show his weakness, wanted to scream. He knew it wasn't her fault, and she had made the right call by bringing him and the others back to camp.

But apart of him, a small shred of his soul agreed with her. He hated himself for it, he wanted nothing but to smack himself for thinking such terrible things. But deep inside, he felt that if they would have stayed, maybe they could have changed something. Maybe they could have saved his friends. There was much doubt on whether he would ever change his mind on that opinion. But he knew she made the right decision.

Now, a beautiful girl, his classmate, one of his best friends sat directly across from him, crying her eyes out. He was crying too, more silent, fewer tears but they were still there. He thought of All Might, what he would do in this situation. When all Izuku wanted to do was scream out and ball right next to her, he knew that's not what she needed.

So, he did what he thought was right. He leaned forward, wrapped his casted arms around the sobbing girl, and hugged her. He squeezed her tightly, and Uraraka fell right into him. She shoved her face into his chest and all but screamed, he hugged her, comforted her, held her in his bandaged arms.

She had curled up almost into a ball on his lap, and although Izuku's face wore a red hue, he couldn't help to admit that he wouldn't mind staying like this forever.

Having seemed to finally calm down, small breaths now escaped her buried face. Izuku's chin now rested on the top of her head, while her head rested on his chest. He couldn't imagine what the rest of the class would say if they saw them like this. The embarrassment would be almost unbearable. He doubted he would move from this position though, even if they _were_ here. He would go any type of embarrassing situation for her.

He decided to end the comfortable silence, "You made the right call," he breathed heavily, "you made the right decision. If you didn't, all of us could have been captured, or all of us could have been in the ER."

Izuku felt her squeeze his chest a little tighter in their embrace, "I promise you Uraraka, I wouldn't lie to you. You made the right call." He assured, gently making circles on her back with his casted hand.

Those words seemed to cause a reaction in Uraraka, as she wrapped her arms higher up around his chest and pulled away slightly.

Her face had been red, just like his, but her eyes seemed weathered. Almost like she had been crying for a long while. Izuku noticed the large wet spot that her tears had formed on the front of his hospital gown, but he didn't care. He didn't care that her hair looked insane, that her nose was puffy and red, or that they were holding each other dangerously close.

"Thank you, Deku." Uraraka whispered, leaning towards him. This time, _she_ hugged _him_.


	2. Anxiety and Stress

**Thank you all so much for the support, I'm shocked anyone even read it but I'm so glad it was well-received. Thank you for the reviews, they mean a lot and help push me to write more of this story! So review/comment if you can, it helps a great deal! **

**Another thing I forgot to mention back in chapter 1, if something doesn't happen in this fanfic, for example, if I skip over something that canonically happened in the anime, it still happened in the fic. Enjoy chapter**** 2!**

* * *

They had done it.

With the help of Uraraka, the five were able to pull through in the rescue mission. Uraraka had floated them in the back, Kirishima in the front breaking through the wall, and Izuku and Iida running and jumping as fast and hard as they could. Due to the weightlessness and well-timed jump, the four soared through the air, getting a massive amount of height - just out of reach of the villains. Once they reached their explosive friend, they flew off with help from Mount Lady and the other pro heroes.

It was truly a feat of teamwork, it was so impressive to Izuku; how fast they agreed to work together and how perfectly executed everything was. He was so thankful Uraraka had come, without her none of it would have been possible. Her quick thinking and timing on her quirk had saved them. The admiration he experienced towards her was unparalleled. It brought him joy knowing he had someone like her in his corner.

But _now_.

_Now_, was _different_.

That joy he spoke of was gone. Just, _gone. _He watched as his idle, his mentor, his predecessor, _All Might_, used the last of his power to stop All for One. The crowds around him cheered and called his name as the number one hero called out, "Next, it's your turn."

His finger outstretched pointing at the camera. Pointing at every single criminal in Japan, every single villain in the world. It shouted a warning to all foes yet unseen.

They took it that way. E_veryone, _took it that way. They saw their hero showing strength in his final moments as number one.

But Izuku? No - he took it _completely_ differently.

As they heard a warning, he heard the one person that gave him the strength to be a hero; finally pass the torch. He felt All Might's finger pointing _directly_ at him, he felt the weight behind his words. _It was his time._

_It is your turn to uphold the mantle of One for All_

No one seemed to notice the tears streaming down his eyes. Although, through the cheering of the crowd, the energy of the people around them, he stuck out like a sore thumb. It was enough to draw the attention of Bakugo, _and _Uraraka.

Uraraka's upbeat energy as she cheered on All Might, their _teacher_, was all but zapped as she glanced towards him. She was _extremely_ confused, asking herself why _Deku_ of all people would be crying at a time like this? When All Might _won the battle._ Defeated his _final _adversary. His idle had just secured his most important victory. _Shouldn't he be happy?_

Bakugou started at Deku as well, having noticed from the very beginning that he was acting strangely. Nothing but a blank expression painted his face. Hints of pity were in the boy but he would _never,_ show it. Instead, in his mind, he theorized the possibilities as to why Deku was crying. _The "nerd" had always been emotional so maybe he was just crying of joy? _But _no_..._that_ didn't look like tears of joy. Sadness it was then. Suddenly, the blonde's eyes widened as he thought back to the beginning of the year. When Deku had stopped him after their first exercise as heroes in training. He had said something-

_"I was given this power, but one day I will make it my own Kacchan!"_

No way...

_7 days_ had passed since All Might beat one for all; the symbol of peace had officially retired from hero work. It left society in a strangled mess, civilians didn't know how to react. Villains suddenly entered a period of unrest.

Todoroki was able to recover completely from his fight with the villains. He _did_ have a rather nasty scar on his shoulder - but other than that, he seemed to have a speedy recovery. The boy was up and moving within a few days. It did take Recovery Girl a few 'kisses' to fix him, however. The burns he suffered were..._almost_ un-repairable. But thankfully recovery girl was an expert at her job.

Izuku had gone to see Todoroki every day, and when he finally had woken up - it took everything in the boy's power not to cry tears of joy. He had felt like he had cried enough, although a part of him didn't see his tears ending anytime soon.

U.A. thrust the class of 1-A into their provisional licensing exams. A part of him wondered if it was because they needed the class to be capable of fighting back in emergency situations. It hadn't exactly been a coincidence that the league had attacked them in every scenario they left the campus, so it made sense.

The class had only four days to work on their ultimate moves, and then they moved onto the test. It also made sense that with All Might retiring, more heroes would be needed immediately. Deku, along with many others, had acquired their licenses. But surprisingly, Todoroki and Bakugou hadn't. The two strongest of the class were somehow left behind. Having to take extra classes definitely pissed the explosive boy off, but Todoroki seemed content. He _was_ the more mature one after all.

The students of 1-A, as well as the entire U.A school had been moved into dorms immediately afterward. It surprisingly had taken less effort to convince the parents then Aizawa had originally thought. He was glad they had been so understanding, especially in today's society. He wouldn't have blamed them for pulling their kids from the school. Thinking about it logically, he probably would have if he was a parent.

Izuku, well...the distraction of the provisional license exams had been a welcome one. He hadn't gotten the chance to think over everything that had occurred. But now that they had downtime, he was not doing the best. His over-analytical brain dragged him down. Analyzing everything takes a toll - he wished he could turn it off. Just...stop _thinking_ for once.

It was a day or two after the exams. The girls had the whole class, minus Bakugou, and Mineta (at the girls' demand), on a room tour competition. He had been having fun in the beginning, but after the first few rooms, he quietly sunk to the back of the group. Stuck in his mind, worrying about every single thing.

_It's up to you now_

Ever since that day he had been feeling...funny. Like a knot in his stomach that _wouldn't_ go away. It felt like there was something sitting at the top of his throat ready to come up. Like he just wanted to _scream_, while simultaneously ripping his own hair out. He couldn't shake it. The anxiety, the pressure. Even after his talk with All Might, which had helped slightly, he couldn't get it out of his head - he was the sole holder of One for All.

_Only you_

It was _his_ job now to be that symbol of peace.

It was _his_ job now to stand as a pillar of society.

It was _his_ responsibility to be a savior unlike _any_ other.

And those three things made him more stressed than anything. How could he fill _All Might's _shoes? How could _he_, a scrawny, useless, Deku... possibly take place of the greatest hero that ever existed? How was he supposed to become what All Might was?

Part of him knew this was stupid. He had gone through this worrying already - he already _had_ these conversations with himself before. But...why was he still thinking this way? That question ate at the back of his mind as the girls commented on so and so's room. It felt like all of his prior anxiety had come rushing back as soon as he was reminded of his expectations. As soon as he remembered the sheer weight of responsibility he held.

It had been a few minutes since he stopped walking with the rest. Halted dead in the hallway, clenching his fists, and biting his lower lip, he simply breathed. Breathed hard, and fast, like he couldn't find the air he _needed so_ _desperately._

Before he knew it, he was on the elevator going back to his floor, and even faster he was on the floor of his dorm breathing even harder, even faster, than before

_What was happening to him?_ _Why did he feel light-headed, and why was he breathing so quickly?_ _Was he hyperventilating_? He didn't know, he didn't know _anything_, all he knew was soon enough his stomach emptied itself into the small trash can that sat next to his desk. Loud groans escaped his throat as stomach acid shot through his mouth. The burning sensation stung so much, his throat was on fire.

Throwing up was his _least_ favorite thing to do. Especially when it took multiple minutes for it to stop. Right now, Izuku thought he was going to kill himself by hurling so much. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't stop.

It _wouldn't_ stop...

...and he _couldn't_ _breathe_.

He was choking on his own bile. His mind went cloudy, something was grabbing his shoulders. He couldn't tell what it was, but he didn't care. He _needed_ to breathe. He _couldn't_ breathe. But he _needed_ to-

* * *

The girls had just walked out of Sato's room, feeling happy and satisfied with their tasty treats. They couldn't _believe_ how good of a baker Sato really was, but it _did_ make sense considering his Quirk was based on sugar. Ochako reminded herself that she would have to ask Sato for his recipe, it was just too good not to.

As the group continued on, laughing and ranking the rooms, she felt an absence. Like a usual energy that was so lively and warming - it was gone. Her eyes scanned her friends as they moved forward, and the only one missing was Deku. The mop of green hair on top of his head had disappeared from the sea of bodies. Rationally it wasn't that concerning, so she didn't _immediately _worry. He could have just gotten tired and went off to bed. Bakugo had followed a similar route earlier. But she doubted that, as Deku wasn't one to leave without telling anyone, even Todoroki, who _had_ to be more tired than anyone, was still with the class.

Her mind told her that it was nothing, and Deku was fine, just a little tired. She wouldn't blame him, she herself was feeling exhausted. The last week or so felt nonstop, with their license exams, and not to mention All Might's retiring still looming over their shoulders. But, for some reason, it didn't seem like it was just normal stress. In her heart, she could just _tell_ something was wrong.

_'He did look a little pale earlier..._

Quickly letting her friends know that she had to use the restroom, she left the group and headed straight towards the only place he could have gone - his bedroom. It was the most logical option for where he could be. A part of her thought for a second, that maybe there was a reason he didn't tell anyone that he left. But she couldn't help but worry for him. She hopped onto the elevator and clicked the number for his floor. It wasn't like him to just leave like that. Maybe something really _was _wrong. He would have said something...he would have told her, _right_?

Getting off the elevator on his floor, she quickly noticed that the door to Deku's room had been left slightly ajar. Almost as if he forgot to close it all the way. Shuffling forward, slower then she would have liked, Uraraka reached his entryway and was immediately shocked when she heard loud groans coming from inside his room.

Thinking the worst, she immediately shoved herself past the door and rushed into the room...

_Gods_

She had found Deku, hurling into his small trash can, struggling to breathe. Gagging on his vomit, clinging onto his desk for dear life. Needless to say it was a rather disturbing sight. It took 30 seconds of him vomiting, and Uraraka grabbing his shoulders to try and stop him from convulsing, to finally pass out.

She was, _shocked_, _horrified_, _worried_...incredibly worried. She had so many questions, like why did Deku start throwing up? Could he have been sick? Was it just a stomach bug?

_Stomach bugs didn't look like that_

Putting a hold on her worrying for a minute, she looked around his room to find it was more than a mess. He had missed the trash can a bit, and the things on his desk were sprawled out all disorderly. With another pang of worry, she moved him to his bed and started to clean up. Deku, had helped _her_ in her time of need, he had comforted her in the hospital when _he_ was the broken one, countless times he had been there for her. This time _she_ would be there for him, whatever was wrong with him she would be there.

_Not like she wouldn't have helped anyway _

After cleaning up what he had left in the trash can and on the floor, she floated his body into the bathroom. Her hands worked diligently, wiping his face clean and patting off the beads of sweat that rolled down his forehead. He looked so tired, so worn out, so, not like himself. This whole ordeal was, well a bit disgusting, but it didn't really bother her. She knew he would do the same for her.

After she cleaned him, she brought him over to his bed. His body floated down and his head automatically rested on the pillow. It really looked like he had a fever, but then again it could've been from the strain of throwing up with no air.

Didn't they say to place a cool towel on the forehead for fevers? Or was it layer so he could sweat it out? They didn't exactly teach this in their health and safety course. That focused on CPR, and emergency procedures - not so much caring for the sick. A cool washcloth was doable enough, he had towels in his bathroom so it wasn't impossible. A part of her didn't want to rummage through his drawers for extra blankets anyway, so she was sure the cloth would be fine

Once she placed the towel on his head, she realized that she wasn't exactly sure how to deal with this potential sickness. Part of her was thinking maybe she should keep her distance so she doesn't catch it. But at the same time, she wanted to help him. All she knew, was when she used to get sick, her parents would do the same thing that would always make her feel better.

They took her temperature by placing their hand on her forehead, Uraraka already had done this and he most definitely had a fever. Then, they placed a washcloth on her forehead, check her temperature, and gave her a kiss on the nose.

_Heh_

Her face lit up like a traffic light, she _swore_ she could see the red reflection in his mirror. _Kiss? Deku? On the nose?! _Who was _she _to just enforce herself on him like that!? There was absolutely no way she would ever do that without his permission.

_It would be pretty nice_

_-Ah! Shut up! _Ok, she admittedly would LOVE to do that right now, but she couldn't! He was passed out, what kind of person would do that to their best friend when they can't even consent?

Scratch that, she could think of a bunch of her friends that would take the chance in a heartbeat.

Would it be that crazy though? She was starting to not think so. When her parents did it, it always made her feel ten times better. A _hundred _times better even! So what was the big deal? A small peck on the nose wasn't anything to get crazy about.

_Or maybe your just jumping at the chance to kiss your crush_

She didn't know, but, if she was being honest with herself, she didn't care. She knew it was dangerous, and that she should probably not be looking at him as a crush. But as she sat on his bed, watching his mouth contort in discomfort, she realized that she truly did _not_ care. Her face still beet red, she leaned down and gave Deku's nose a small peck.

Maybe it was her imagination, but she swore a small smile grew on his face. This of course nearly caused a yelp of embarrassment from the sheer cuteness.

It took a while, but her blush was finally dying down. So she plopped herself in his desk chair and waited for him to wake up. Usually, she would respect his boundaries and leave, but there were way too many questions on her mind. Why _had_ Deku been on the ground throwing up? Was he just sick? Or was there something more? She thought of the possibilities, he _could_ have eaten some bad food, but it would be unlikely as most of what he had thrown up wasn't food. He _could_ just have had a stomach bug, but she doubted that as well; because that would mean she (and most of their class) had already caught the virus. And she doubted that this would be a reclusive case of a stomach virus.

Thinking back to around 2 weeks ago, the day All Might had defeated All for One, she remembered Deku's expression when they were watching the live footage. He was crying, heavily. She remembered thinking it was odd, but she didn't want to jump to conclusions. But, he hadn't really been the same the rest of that night, and ever since then, he seemed more distant. In his thoughts more, maybe? He was less talkative, and as the days went on, she noticed less and less of her best friend when in conversation with the class. She knew Iida had similar concerns, they had both noticed the absence during their normal conversations.

But it wasn't even just that. He had been putting on fake smiles - most wouldn't notice. But with how much time she spent with him, she _did. _It wasn't _too_ concerning. She had her fair share of fake faces she put on whenever it was just too much. Maybe she was being hypocritical, but the notion of him hiding his feelings from his friends, from _her,_ just didn't sit right with her.

Something _had_ to be troubling him, the big question would be if it has anything to do with his current condition.

* * *

_beep - beep - beep_

Ochako stirred slightly, brown hair ruffling around her face.

_beep - beep - beep_

She felt warm, it wasn't unpleasant, but a bit odd

_beep - beep - beep_

She finally shot up to a sitting position. Quickly glancing around, she had no idea where she was.

_beep - beep - beep_

_Oh right..._

She must have fallen asleep at Deku's desk, she had pondered what was wrong with him for so long, she must have been tired enough to pass out.

_beep - beep - beep_

She groaned at the annoying tone. Her finger rose and she finally pressed the small button on her watch to silence it. In the process, she glanced at the time.

_'12:30 - damn, _she had been out for two and a half hours. Was Deku still sleeping?

Her head turned to her right to glance at his bed when she suddenly realized that she was in fact not at his desk anymore. Instead, she was horizontal and sitting on something much softer.

She was in..._Deku's_ _bed_.

The color that had taken over her face was almost indescribable. She would have floated off the bed as well if she hadn't noticed that Deku was nowhere to be found. In fact, she was laying right where he had been.

Immediately panicking and snapping out of her flustered frenzy, she jumped up from Deku's soft bed and flipped the lights on.

Just a small look around his room had told her. He was gone. But where could he be? Was he alright? The last time she saw him he had passed out throwing up. What kind of condition was he in to be up and moving around?

Her thoughts were quickly jumbled as she felt a faint rumble, barely noticeable, but enough to vibrate her feet on the soft All Might themed carpet.

_What was that?_

Deciding to not investigate further, as for all she knew he had simply gotten up to use the bathroom. He might have seen her sleeping at his desk, felt bad, and placed her in his own sleeping position.

Something told her that hadn't been the case.

* * *

_**1/2 Hour Earlier**_

His eyes slowly opened, a damp towel covered his forehead, his hands were, clammy. The wetness was a bit unpleasant, and the moisture was dripping down his face like sweat. He slowly sat up in his bed, instinctively taking the washcloth off his face and placing it to the side. Wait-

_How did he get in his bed_

He thought back to his last memory, he had been throwing up and convulsing on the floor. He must have passed out or something, but the question still stayed, how did he get to his bed? He looked to the left towards his desk and found his answer.

There sat Uraraka, her head in her arms on his desk, _completely_ passed out. A tiny snore left her mouth, and her brown hair mushed against the wooden desk.

He had to fight back a chuckle at the cute pout her face was making.

Immediately putting the pieces together, he sighed thankfully. She must have come to check on him and found him in the middle of a pool of his own throw-up. He looked back to the floor of his room, noticing that it was completely clean. She must have cleaned up after him as well.

_She didn't have to do that_

Looking back toward Uraraka, a mixture of embarrassment and gratitude, as well as a pang of guilt flooded his mind. She didn't have to clean up after him, or even take care of him the way she did.

He didn't deserve this kind of good treatment, at least not as much as she did for him. She has been there for his time and time again, and once more she helps him in his time of need. Sometimes, he felt he would never be able to help her as much as she has helped him.

Walking over from his bed to his desk, he checked over her. She looked completely exhausted and uncomfortable. He took a second to path out his next action; before gently picking her up and carrying her over to his bed. He laid her on his mattress and covered her with his blanket.

He probably should have just woke her up. But she looked too tired for him to do such a cruel thing. He would wake her up soon, but she could sleep a little while longer. It technically was against the rules, but he had a bigger problem on his hands.

He decided to sit at his desk, not being tired enough to fall asleep on the floor. He _needed_ to figure out what had made him sick the way he was. His immediate thought was a panic attack, it had been the only thing that made sense. He had gotten them before when he was younger. These past few weeks, he had been too stressed and filled with anxiety from the All Might situation, and it all came out at once. He placed his elbows on his desk and shoved his face in his hands. A low groan emitted from his mouth; the young boy felt completely defeated.

How _messed up_ was he? Having panic attacks over _this? _He was supposed to be the next symbol. The next holder of One for All. He had no time to be this mentally-

_knock - knock - knock_

A few soft knocks rang through his dorm, snapping him out of his mind for a brief moment. A look of confusion crept its way on to his face. But also, a look of annoyance.

Someone was knocking on his door in the middle of the night, he supposed it wasn't anything terrible. But _now _wasn't the right time for anyone to bother him. He had too much on his plate and now someone else wanted to shovel some more on.

Breathing a sigh, he moved to open the door.

He turned the knob, slowly pushing the wooden barrier open. A tired look on his face, his eyes laid upon the night time visitor.

"K-Kacchan!?" He exclaimed, confused out of his mind. Suddenly becoming aware of the person sleeping in his bedroom, he lowered his voice to a whisper. "W-What are you doing here?"

"We need to talk." Kacchan stated plainly. One look at his face told him that he too was exhausted. So, why now?

"C-Can't it wait till morning?" He was almost pleading at this point, he _really_ needed to try and get his mind straight.

"No."

"W-Why not Kacchan? What is so important that we have to talk right now? What do you want?" His voice immaturely got a bit hostile, and it obviously ticked his blonde "friend" off.

"We need to talk, about your quirk." Kacchan turned, walking off into the halls of the dorms, "Follow me."

He _panicked_. Not on the outside, but on the inside. Izuku..._panicked_.

His _quirk_? What could _that_ mean? Did Kacchan discover something about his relationship with All Might? Or One for All?

Looking back towards Uraraka, he gulped. If he didn't follow him, who knows what would happen. Uraraka would be fine sleeping there, for now, he just hoped she didn't wake without him. _What if she went after them?_

He shivered at the thought of Uraraka getting in the way of Kacchan. Who knows how pissed he would be? What if he seriously hurt her? Would he do something like that? _No_.

Izuku realized he was thinking way too far ahead, with way too many possibilities, he was just stressing himself out once more. Slipping into his sneakers, Izuku quietly shut the door behind him and ran after his childhood "friend"


	3. Anger and Pain

**THANK YOU FOR THE SUPPORT! ****This chapter took me a long time to write, although I have so many chapters written already (shhhhh) A lot of Bakugou's feelings are in this one as well, which is MY interpretation of it. Its how I _think_ he feels, and how I _think_ his feelings are expressed. I'm not saying its correct, not am I saying it's completely canonically accurate because it's not. It's FanFiction for a reason. Thanks for reviewing and reading this stuff, luv you guys**

* * *

Katsuki had one goal.

It was to figure out _why, _why _Deku_ acted the way he did. Why _Deku_ suddenly required a quirk so late in life. Why _Deku_ suddenly became All Might's pupil.

Why Deku...

The _Scrawny_

The _Skinless_

The _QUIRK-LESS_

_Deku_...had suddenly become better than him.

It infuriated Katsuki. More than anything in his life. Why and _WHEN_ in the fucking hell did _Deku_ surpass him?

Someone who was supposed to always be below him.

How did this good-for-nothing brat get his hero license before himself?! How the hell did he let himself fall this behind? _How_?

He had a plan. He _had_ to know, he _had_ to find out for certain. How the hell did Deku go from quirk-less to number one in the class? There was no way he simply developed a quirk late, that's bullshit. And even if he _did,_ how could he have gained such a powerful one? He's only had it for a few months but suddenly he is doing better than himself? It didn't make any sense, he didn't understand. But that condescending little bitch was going to _make_ him understand.

He planned to bring the idiot down to the training sector of UA. Question him on his quirk, and then give his own theory as to how he had come in possession of it.

If the fucker didn't want to give it up he'd beat the answer out of him. He didn't care, he _needed_ to know. He _needed_ clarity, he couldn't sleep over this shit.

He and Deku had been walking down a long path straight through the center of UA for a while now.

"K-Kacchan? Where are we going?" Deku asked timidly, barely keeping up with his own pace.

"Shut Up!" The nerd promptly quieted down.

His _whole_ life, he was the strongest. He had a powerful quirk. He was the one who was going to be the number one hero.

It was almost funny. The day Deku told him that he was quirk-less, Katsuki had been crushed.

Deku had been his best friend, they were supposed to grow up together, be just like All Might. Number one and number two hero.

That was their plan, but then Deku was quirk-less, and Katsuki had one of the strongest quirks out of their whole class.

He would never admit this out loud, but he felt bad at first. Deku and him always used to worship All Might, the nerd was going to be his sidekick when they grew up. He had felt like a big brother to the boy, even though they were the same age. But that damn day, Deku tried to help him like he was some worthless idiot who couldn't do anything. _He _had the quirk, _he _was supposed to be saving people - not the other way around.

It infuriated him when Deku tried to help him, because not only did it make him feel inferior, but the damn nerd would always but into a business that he had no reason to be apart of. It was like he was belittling Katsuki - the _actual _strong one.

That's how it started off at least. But as the two grew older and older, his feelings changed.

It _enraged_ him now! It felt like Izuku was always looking down on him. Like he had this sense of justice that outweighed a strong quirk like he knew that Katsuki wasn't good enough to be a hero so he was doing it the "right" way. it made him sick. Then, he showed up to the entrance exam of UA, with a brand new quirk, and with All Might's support.

_All Might..._

It was _his_ fault...

If he had just been stronger, if he could have gotten away faster, by himself, All Might wouldn't have lost his power.

He was _supposed _to be the strongest! Him! Katsuki Bakugo! The strongest up and coming hero, winner of the sports festival, with the best quirk there was.

But he wasn't enough, not when it counted

And the nerd and everyone had to save _him. _He couldn't even save himself and-

The number one hero...

_His_ number one hero...

Would still be...

The two teens had arrived at the sight of their first training drill. Their first real fight, as two heroes in training, had taken place right there.

Izuku watched as Kacchan stretched his shoulder out, gulping as the glare penetrated him. He didn't look like he was playing around this time.

"Deku. I'm going to ask you one time. What is your relation to All Might? Why are your quirks so similar? What the _hell_ are you?"

He looked on, fear, shock, and anger, built up inside him like a can of soda that had just been shaken. He guessed his short temper might have been a side effect to what he had previously experienced in the night. Sure, his mental state wasn't the best, and his filter was also damaged.

But he was _truly _getting sick and tired of Kacchan's actions.

"What?" He replied in an angry tone, "Is that what you brought me all the way out here for? To ask me about my quirk?!"

"You heard me! Answer the question!" Kacchan yelled back, clenching his fists tightly.

He looked on to Kacchan, his eyes staring at the boy's physique. He looked ready to fight - like he was going to _beat_ the answer out of him.

But Izuku had enough...

_Enough_ of the tormenting...

_Enough_ of the bullying...

He was _tired_ of being pushed around. He didn't need to submit to Kacchan any more, he _had_ a quirk now. He could defend himself. And with his mind being weathered, he did just that.

"No!" He yelled back sternly, shocking Kacchan slightly, but not enough to push him back.

"What the fuck did you just say? No?!" He screamed, walking towards him, "Answer the question Deku! Where did you get your quirk!"

For a split second, he began to wonder what would happen if he told him the truth. How he would react. But, that idea passed as soon as it came.

"I said," he murmured, looking down towards the pavement, "_NO_!"

Kacchan had stopped in his tracks. Tightening his fists further, Izuku watched as he breathed a heavy breath. Small explosions came from his palms, and his eyes harbored a fiery look.

"Fight me! If you won't answer the question, I'll just force you to tell me!" He yelled, getting into a fighting stance.

"Fight you!? Why! I developed my quirk late! You know that! I'm not going to fight you Kacchan!" He was filled with anger, he was fed up with Kacchan, but he did _not_ want to fight the boy.

"_LIAR_!" Kacchan screamed, flying towards Izuku and launching him straight into one of the buildings surrounding the two.

He was rocked. _That_ wasn't holding back, that was a _full-on_ explosion. He shakily stood from the small amount of rubble and looked back towards him.

He had just _exploded_ _him_ _into_ _a_ _building_

_WHAT THE HELL!_

Izuku was about to snap. He had been through _enough_ that day. And this was the flame that lit the fuse. The final shake that exploded the fan. He clenched his teeth and squeezed his fists so hard a small that white could be seen around his knuckles.

'_This will be a good way to let some of my pent up emotions out, and I might as well see if my shoot style works on Kacchan...'_

_"_Answer the fucking question Deku!" Kacchan began slowly walking towards the boy.

Izuku's eyes looked up, and a spark of green flashed through them. Soon, the rest of his body was covered in green sparks, and Izuku was _speeding_ towards Kacchan.

"I refuse to be your punching bag any more, _Kacchan_!"

All Might, followed by two heroes in training, noisily walked back towards the U.A. dorms, at _1:30_ in the morning.

_Why'd it have to be 1:30 in the morning?_

After comforting a crying Bakugou, and an emotionally wrecked Midoriya, Toshinori had been tired out himself.

_But,_ he cleaned up his mess.

Bakugou now knew about One for All, his relationship with Midoriya, and how Midoriya was the next One for All successor. His life was now changed forever, but it seemed like he was accepting of it, so it was fine.

It _had_ been difficult, telling Bakugou the truth. To Toshinori, it meant bringing one more life into his, which made Bakugou another target.

But he told himself it would be fine, that Bakugou and Midoriya would have each other's back, and that Bakugou himself is a strong-minded, and strong quirked individual. And deep down, he knew he would be fine.

But his subconscious, the back of his mind, it ate away at him. The dangers those two were in when it had just been Midoriya, and Toshinori had his powers, he could have at least counted on himself to protect him.

But he doesn't have his powers anymore, and he has to entrust all of his faith into the next generation. He has to believe they can take care of themselves, which, in reality...he did.

At least when he ends up leaving this earth, someone will be by his side, in his corner.

_Now,_ his job was to train young Midoriya. And Bakugou, being aware of One for All and All for One, needed to be included at least in some fashion. He would train them both perhaps.

Toshinori pondered this as he made his way into the teacher's facilities after parting ways with his two students. They had gotten one hell of a lecture from Aizawa, which was coming to them, but still somehow seemed a bit much. They were both fragile, he could see that, but he supposed that wasn't something to stop punishment. Even if Aizawa's house arrest had been a light sentence.

Slowly entering the elevator and waiting for the contraption to close, he leaned his back against the wall, thinking on the matter once more.

On one hand, having a classmate that knows of his secrets, could be _very_ useful for Midoriya. Not to mention their newfound rivalry, as well as young Bakugo's pure strength. To be truthful, there wasn't a better opponent and sparring partner for Midoriya in his class, save for Todoroki maybe.

On the other hand, including Bakugo was a lot to ask of him. He would have to agree to it in the first place, which honestly, Toshinori was not so sure he would. But then again he had his own goals to reach.

It seemed like the two boys had finally passed their stalemate of emotions. The way they opened up to each other earlier, as well as the way they were acting to one another right before Toshinori dropped them off at the dorms.

It seemed clear those two were finally developing somewhat of a friend-like relationship.

As he exited the elevator and opened the door to his room, the frail man let out a heavy sigh.

Maybe he was thinking too deeply of this, in the end, it would have to be Bakugo's decision on whether or not he would want to be included.

Worrying too much about the consequences would only keep him distracted. Stagnating Young Midoriya's growth could be an effect of his turmoil.

And that is the last thing Toshinori needed...

* * *

A blonde, followed by a green-headed boy, walked straight into the common area of Class 1-A's dorm. They both stopped. The green-haired teen waited eagerly for his classmate to make a move. That classmate, Bakugou, turned right and walked toward the kitchen.

Midoriya, the green-haired boy, watched with confusion as Bakugou grabbed two glasses and began to fill them with water. In no time at all, Bakugou had walked back to Midoriya, handed him the glass of water, and calmly moved over to the yellow couch. It was dark, and although their eyes had been adjusted by now, the scene still felt rather hard to grasp.

Midoriya could tell Bakugou was silently asking him to join him on the couch. It had been obvious, but after Bakugou had gotten him a glass of water, well, Midoriya had been a little more than surprised.

"Sit down you damn idiot," Kacchan ordered calmly, which shocked him. This was followed by him taking a _long_ sip from his glass, finishing nearly 2/3rd of the beverage. With slight hesitation, Izuku obeyed him, not wanting to upset him further. He had since gotten a grasp on his own emotions, or at least, enough to not think as brashly as he was earlier. He had to admit, the way Kacchan was acting _seriously_ shook him. It had been so out of character, but then again, he never thought he would see Kacchan crying in front of him either. The night had definitely been...eventful.

Now, the two boys sat on the couch. Izuku chose to sip from his glass of water to dodge the awkward tone in the air, "T-Thank you for the water Kacchan..." he spoke, setting the half-finished glass down on the table.

"Yeah...whatever. I figured you'd probably need it since we just fought." Kacchan was still, and staring straight ahead of him, totally missing the gaze Izuku had thrown his way.

"K-Kacchan...I just wanted to sa—"

"Shut up..." He whispered angrily, cutting him off, "just...stop talking..."

He listened and chose to once again follow his friend's orders. Friend, he still didn't know if that was the appropriate term. Even after everything that had just happened, what were they? Rivals, he guessed. Friends?

_Maybe_

"Listen...I'm only going to say this once...so...just fucking listen..." Kacchan spoke through closed teeth, "I'm sorry."

Izuku's eyes widened, and before he could start blabbering he thought twice. His mouth shut and his eyes slowly closed, they re-opened looking the opposite direction.

"I'm sorry for being such a dick. I'm sorry for treating you like trash, and I'm sorry for telling you to kill yourself," He bit his inner lip looking towards the floor, "I...couldn't say it in front of All Might."

Izuku thought back to that day, more so that night. When he had actually thought about the idea of committing suicide. Just to see how people would have reacted, to see how Kacchan would have reacted. Of course, he would have never done it. He would never do that to his mom, she wouldn't be able to live with herself. But he thought about it, what it would be like. What the repercussions would be. How Bakugou himself would act knowing it was his fault. The boy's face grew slightly sour, those weren't his favorite memories.

"I was terrible, and I'm saying sorry because I didn't actually mean those shitty things I used to do and say to you. I don't know..." Kacchan looked away from the coffee table he had been so fixated on this entire time, and looked farther away from Izuku, "I don't know why I did those things. I think maybe I was just a fucking brat. Or maybe I just didn't...like the idea of anyone being better than me? It's fucked up...and you didn't deserve it."

He had long forgotten the wall he was staring at and had chosen to focus on the boy who was rambling about his mistakes. Tears had welled up in his eyes a few minutes ago, but he didn't dare let them drop. He _was_ confused, Kacchan thought _he_ was better than him? _How_? The boy almost expressed his confusion vocally, but again he thought it would be better to let him talk first.

Katsuki thought back to when All Might was explaining One for All to him. He told Katsuki how he saw true Heroism in Deku, and how even though he was quirk-less, that one quality was more important than anything. That had really hit him hard, hearing All Might say that Deku was more heroic than himself. It made it even worse when All Might explained how he too had been quirk-less before receiving One for All. It all clicked together in his mind.

"I'm only saying this now...cuz...well I don't fucking know ok? I just..." he paused to take a breathe, "after finding out about your shit with All Might. I don't know, it all just started to make sense to me. Ever since I was a kid...I looked up to All Might. But at the same time, looking back, I was the opposite of what a hero should be, what I _thought_ I was being. I was a bully, maybe I still am... I don't..." he clenched his fists and bit his lower lip.

Tears threatened to spill but he told himself to not let them, he _had_ to get this out. "You were more heroic than me, more like All Might than me, _ever_ _since_ we were small. You always were. And deep down...I don't think..." tears started to fall from his eyes, "I don't think I liked that you were better than me at being a hero. You always tried to save people, and you always stuck up for everyone, even me, and all that when I was the one with the amazing quirk, and you were quirk-less. I took it like you were trying to one-up me or something, look _down_ on me, I always wanted to prove that I was stronger, better! But now I see that you were just _that_ _good_ a fucking person!"

He furiously wiped his eyes, he couldn't believe he was crying again. The fuck was wrong with him? How much of a bitch could he be?

"You just..." Katsuki was almost weeping now, "you were just trying to dream and all I did was tell you to kill yourself for it!" Without being able to get another word out from the choked sobs, he sat there with his hands over his face. He felt a presence next to him, and then two arms wrap around his shoulders.

"It's _ok_ Kacchan, I-I forgive you..."

...

He...

...

...forgave him?

_How!?_ He was the _entire_ _reason_ his childhood was terrible!

_Maybe this is what All Might was truly talking about._

He hesitated, reluctant to accept the sign of affection his classmate was offering him, but today had been terrible. And since the two were alone, Katsuki returned Deku's embrace.

Never in a million years had Izuku thought he would be holding a crying Kacchan, or that he would be trying not to cry either. His bully had just apologized for everything he had ever done to him, and as he had explained it, it all made logical sense. _That_ was the most "fucked up" part about it (as his friend would describe), he somehow felt bad for Kacchan, even though he had been his victim all these years.

"Kacchan...I...it's ok...I..." He tried to speak but in reality, he had no _clue_ what to say. How could he say anything that could make this situation better? In his opinion, the situation was already pretty good. So he decided that letting him calm down was the more intellectual move. After about 30 seconds of his crying, Kacchan frantically stood up and walked away from the couch. He stood with his back facing him, while one hand wiped his eyes.

"How?"

Izuku's tear-stained eyes looked up with surprise. _How_? What had he meant by that?

"How could you forgive me so easily? How could you just _say_ that? Your entire life I was terrible to you, and now your just...forgiving me..."

"Kacchan..." he started, pausing to think for a second, he had good reasoning in his questions. Explaining his own would be a bit rough. "A _small_ part of me, doesn't want to forgive you. But a larger part of me already has. I've always looked up to you, whether that was a good thing or a bad one, I did. Even as you teased me, bullied me, beat me, I always looked to you as someone I wished I could be like. Mainly because you had the attitude I wish I could have had at the time, you were confident. Fearless. You had everything I didn't, and I didn't care as much that you bullied me because of that. Like I said earlier, I've been looking up to you this entire time. You said you thought I was trying to be better than you, but I actually was chasing after you."

Kacchan froze, his hand dropped back to his side, and his face contorted into what looked to be disgust mixed with guilt.

"Even though that was the case. It's not like it _didn't_ affect me. No one would make friends with me. I was so lonely throughout my entire childhood...it hurt so much seeing the other kids play together. Its... _messed _up that I think this way. I know. Because of you, none of them would even talk with me. I used to think something was wrong with me because I didn't have a quirk, and that was because of you as well. But... Kacchan... even when you told me to jump off the roof... a deeper part of me knew you didn't mean it. Just like all the other times you bullied me, I knew somewhere, deep down, you weren't like that. We used to be best friends when we were small. You were a nice person underneath all of the screaming and explosions, or at least you were before. That's why I can forgive you, because, for some reason, I had already forgiven you."

Katsuki almost broke down once more, but through sheer willpower alone, he was able to stay composed. Deku had somehow figured him out, even before he had figured himself out, Deku had known who Katsuki _really_ was. The idiot was always like that, always analyzing stuff, he was a genius when it came to shit like that. It made sense he would know more about _him_ then _he himself _did.

"T-Thank you... Izuku" Katsuki whispered, not going unnoticed by Izuku himself.

His eyes widened, Kacchan had just called him by his real name, his first name, Izuku. That _might_ have been the first time he had ever used his real name. It felt, weird. If he had to define the word progress, through tonight's events alone, that moment might be it. For Kacchan to go from calling him Deku his entire life, to calling him his first name, well... it made Midoriya feel pretty great.

Standing up, and wiping some of the tears that were still flowing out of his eyes, Midoriya slowly walked towards Bakugou. A heavily scarred hand raised up, and rested on the blonde's shoulder, "I'm gonna keep calling you Kacchan instead of Katsuki if it's ok with you." Midoriya exclaimed with a small laugh.

Bakugou let out a light chuckle, "As long as I can keep using Deku, it's pretty fucking catchy by now."

The two broke out into a small chuckle fest, and it seemed to immediately lighten the mood of the room. Izuku Midoriya and Katsuki Bakugou were finally on there a way to becoming _real_ friends.

Unbeknownst to the two, a third smile watched on from the staircase leading up to the dormitory floors. That person was, Ochako Uraraka.

Ochako was incredibly happy, her eyes had been tear-stained, but her smile was brighter than it had been in weeks. She just witnessed Deku and Bakugou get through their issues. It was a sight she wished the rest of the class could see but was somewhat prideful only herself had viewed it.

She watched as the two said some final words, and started to walk in opposite directions. Bakugou was walking towards the other staircase, presumably to his room. And Deku was walking towards the staircase on this side of the dorms. The staircase...she happened to be spying on...

_Uh oh_

Without a single peep, she bolted up the stairs and back to his room. As she entered his dorm, she immediately closed the door and flopped into his chair. _'I can't believe Bakugou and Deku are actually friends now!'_

Her mind raced with the possibilities. They could train together, talk to each other like normal people maybe, it was a revolutionary landmark in their relationship.

That was a _part _of her thoughts, however.

She thought back to when she was waiting in Deku's room. He had been gone for almost 20 minutes, and she couldn't just sit still anymore. That's when she decided to go downstairs and check out the explosion she heard, but that's when she ran into Bakugo and Deku, both standing behind the yellow couch. Throughout the whole conversation, Ochako cried, she got furious, she even almost ran out there and slapped Bakugo over the head when she heard he had told Deku to kill himself.

How _absolutely disgusting _does a person have to be, to tell them to kill them-self? She was glad he seemed sorry because if he wasn't she would give him a reason to be.

Another thing that had stuck with her, most prominently, was a comment Bakugou made in the middle of his apology.

_"After finding out about your thing with All Might."_

Ochako replayed that sentence back in her head at least 50 times. What had he meant? What _thing _did Deku have with All Might? It was always obvious they were closer than the rest of the class, but Ochako had always brushed that off as them having similar quirks. But then it would only be natural for All Might to take a liking to Deku.

But now...she thought it could be something _much_ more complicated and intense.

Shaking her head, she realized she was still in Deku's room. Looking around, Ochako looked over all of his All Might memorabilia. He was a real fanboy, and she doubted he was any different before he had met the number one hero himself.

He was about to come back up and she still needed to talk to him, find out what he was going through before. Maybe find out what this '_thing_' he had with All Might was. It was obvious during that conversation, Bakugou let out his feelings, but Deku's were still mostly bottled up.

She was _sure_ he had a panic attack earlier, and she _needed_ to find out why. For his own health, she had to help him. Just like he helped her.


	4. Decisions and Mistakes

"Deku, don't think this changes anything ok? I'm still going to keep getting stronger, and I'm going to stay ahead of you. _I will be the number one hero, and you having One for All is not gonna stop that." _Kacchan exclaimed whispering the last part. Just because they had gotten over, well, whatever it was that was standing in between them, it didn't mean Kacchan was going to drop his convictions. He was still going to become the strongest, the number one hero. Just like he always said he would be, and he would definitely be better than Deku. '_Damn anyone who thought otherwise'_

"Sure thing! I'm going to try my hardest too! But maybe this time...we can get stronger together?" Izuku responded with hope, looking into the blonde's eyes.

Kacchan stared back into his pupils, '_the little fucker just wouldn't stop.'_ Well, he decided there was no use in fighting it. "Screw it, I'm already dragged into your mess so I might as well gain something from it."

Izuku smiled back, and the two shared a small nod of agreement. They then walked right past each other, one of the two having a much brighter smile on his face.

That one, of course, was Izuku. He couldn't _believe_ that he and Bakugou were, _actually_ friends now. Hopefully, they were friends? To be honest, he was not so sure. But it looked a lot better than it used to be, so for that, he was grateful.

Training with him was going to be a welcome challenge, they had fought together before in the Final Exams, but who knew how training with Kacchan was going to go. Hopefully, All Might had some sort of a plan, at least that's what he hopes for. Putting the Kacchan situation on the back burner of his mind, he let himself remember what he had been thinking about before all of this.

His panic attack. Or at least his self diagnosed one. He still had anxiety over the whole One for All situation, but tonight had been a good distraction. It almost made him feel better that he had Kacchan there with him during this, getting stronger together, he didn't have to bear the burden alone.

Opting for the elevator over the stairs, eager to climb into his bed, his stress and anxiety slowly crept back with each passing second. Even with the thought of Kacchan being there with him through it all.

It was a given, Izuku thought, who _wouldn't _be utterly mortified to be the sole holder and keeper of the single most important quirk known to mankind. Someone can be in on the secret but that doesn't change who actually holds the power, the responsibility of this quirk. Who _wouldn't _be having panic attacks over whether or not he would be good enough? Or strong enough? Or if he was even worthy of such a quirk?

He felt _silly_.

Almost like the reality of this whole situation with All Might hadn't hit him yet. Even though he's had this quirk for a while now, it had been a lot easier knowing All Might was still there. Even though Izuku knew for a fact, that All Might was not going to be around forever. That All Might would die...everyone did.

It had been a lot easier knowing he wasn't the only one that was going to be here that held the actual power. All Might was there, he could always save him but now he was alone.

_But he wasn't alone_

But it felt like he _was_

As the young boy trudged from the elevator and grew closer to his dorm, he could feel a familiar pit in his stomach. It was happening again. Just like before, just like earlier when he had collapsed on his floor throwing up his dinner.

He could not be having another panic attack. _Why? No_! He was ok, he wasn't alone he knew this. So why was his body freaking out

_Stop it, please_

_'Just think about something else Izuku! Come on, your gonna be the number one hero, you can't be having attacks like this constantly!' _

_Please, he didn't want to go through that again_

He felt like he was burning up. His skin itched for cold air. Gasping for breath as he got to his dorm, he threw open the door and ripped his shirt off simultaneously. It was so hot, but he felt cold and lonely at the same time.

Closing the door, rather violently, and collapsing on the floor, the young boy started cursing himself at his weakness.

_Why couldn't his body stop being so weak? Why was he so weak - even the strongest power couldn't help him overcome this!_

* * *

Ochako was awoken from her thoughts, as the door to Deku's room was thrown open. Her eyes gaped as the green-haired boy ripped his shirt off, threw it towards her, and stumbled into the room.

Her face _instantly_ became a tomato.

_Did he forget she was in here? Why did he just throw his shirt off like that?!_ Why were her cheeks emitting the same amount of heat as her radiator?! _WHY HADN'T SHE TAKEN HIS SHIRT OFF HER FACE!?_

Slightly shaking, she removed the surprisingly damp piece of clothing from her head. The brown-haired girl had been so flustered she hadn't been able to make a single noise thus far.

Her stomach dropped however, as the boy she was just fawning over, suddenly slammed the door shut and collapsed in the middle of his room. Small curses ran out the boys lips, and his fists violently grabbed at the shag rug of the small dorm.

Her eyes widened further as she finally was able to observe her friend's condition.

His body was covered in bandages. Well, not completely covered. But there were a lot of them, and she had a pretty good guess as to where he acquired so many. His injuries, however, seemed to be the least of her problems at the moment. As he was currently hyperventilating and sweating a small pool's worth on his carpet.

Almost without thought, Ochako jumped from the desk chair and was at the boy's side. Her arm immediately wrapped around his back, and her free hand grabbed one of his. "Deku! Hey! It's ok! I'm here!" She half-whispered, half-shouted, "Deku! Please, calm down, I'm here! You're okay! I promise you! You are ok!" This was to no avail, however, as Izuku continued to hyperventilate. Barely acknowledging the girl's presence.

_Not_ _again_!

She could _not_ let him go through a complete panic attack and do absolutely nothing. But what could she do?!

"Please! Listen to me! Your ok, you're here, I'm here, your safe!" But once again this had no effect. He was panting harder than before and it seemed like he was about to pass out.

She was desperate and getting frustrated. She couldn't just let him pass out. _But what could she do?! _

"IZUKU!" She shouted, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him violently.

His knees collapsed and he fell half into her strangled embrace. If not for the gasp for air he took, she would have thought it meant he finally passed out. She could only stare back as he looked up wide-eyed towards her. It, seemed like he hadn't realized she was there until just now. He was taking in larger breaths now, and his breathing began to slow to a normal pace.

"U...Ura...Uraraka?"

She didn't respond verbally, yet her body seemed to jump forward without her command. She was hugging him tightly now, that's when her mind finally caught up to what she had just done.

"Oh my god, I'm so so so so sorry!" She squeezed him tightly, "I didn't know what else to do! I'm so sorry Deku."

Her arms were now wrapped tightly around him, and it seemed like he was lagging a bit to respond. Finally, she could feel his head shake a bit if only a small amount as if to disagree with her words.

"U-Uraraka, it's, it's ok, thank you...thank you so much..." Heavy breaths quickly fading into small pants filled the silence that followed his voice. His head leaned into her embrace, seemingly thankful for the physical and emotional support she was offering. He almost had completely broken down from a panic attack, for the second time in one night no less. _'_She had to figure out what was doing this to him.

It took a few minutes for either of them to move, only sitting on the floor wrapped in this loose, strangled embrace that barely passed as a hug. His head leaned into her stomach while her hands rested on his back pulling him closer. He had finally calmed down, his breathing stable, and his skin no longer hot to the touch.

His skin...

Oh right. They were still on the floor, hugging, Deku's shirt off. He was in her lap, with his shirt off, with her arms around him

Her entire face lit up, the heat now rising on her skin. She jerked back, not even realizing how fast she cleared his room - until she was staring at him on the floor from his wall. A sense of regret passed through her mind, she had let her embarrassment stop her from comforting him.

_What kind of friend was she? _

Just a week ago she was sobbing into _his_ chest, so why couldn't she give him the same relief? Why did her feelings have to stop her from helping him? It was so wrong.

_No - _she wouldn't let this happen, she was going to find out what was making him have panic attacks and help him through it. It was obviously something to do with Bakugo, but from what she had overheard it seemed like that wasn't an issue anymore,_ right? _

* * *

His breath was coming back to him, which in one sense, was a good thing. But in another, it lets him finally take note of what was actually going on. His face wore a look of confusion as he found Uraraka against his wall, hands over her face, Why was Uraraka in the corner of his room with her hands over her face? What was she doing? Was she ok? Oh- he was shirtless. And, wasn't he just in her lap?

_Oh-_

His face turned almost brighter than she's in that moment, it was a sight to behold. Somewhere in the back of Izuku's mind, he thought of how ridiculous this whole situation was. He had just had an anxiety attack not less than a few minutes ago, and now the girl who had helped him through it couldn't even look at him through embarrassment alone.

_Not that he was any better at the moment._

The two stayed like that for a while. Maybe a few minutes. He only knew this because after around 15 seconds Uraraka uncovered her face, and had been staring at him with this look of pity mixed with regret. He couldn't place it, but she looked so sad. Like she didn't know what to do.

In that time, he was able to calm down some more, his thoughts straightening out fully. Staring back at her helped enough to actually remember what he had just been doing. He realized why she was in his room, he had completely forgotten about how he had left her there, sleeping in his bed. She probably has so many questions.

Deciding that staying like this for any longer, staring at each other with this, half awkward half comfortable silence was not going to get them anywhere. He made the first move, standing up, noticing how tired his body was, and walking over to his dresser. He pulled out a loose t-shirt and threw it on, the blush not once leaving his face. "S-Sorry."

She hadn't stopped looking at him, the look of regret in her eyes only growing. She stood up, hesitantly walking towards him like she was afraid that she was going to make something worse by her presence.

The only thought running through her mind was that. '_Does he even want her here?'_

Pushing aside her worries for a moment, Ochako thought of what had just occurred. She found it odd how flustered she got from seeing him without a shirt on, especially when she had seen him topless many times before. She guessed that it was with the two of them being alone, in his room, and them being so close. Him being covered in a thin layer of sweat didn't help at all either. It had just gotten her so heated.

"I-I'm sorry," she started, sounding slightly defeated, "I don't know what that was, but a-are you...are you okay?" Ochako realized that she was probably doing the exact opposite of what she wanted to do. She _wanted_ to help him get through whatever it was he was going through, but instead, she was just adding to his stress.

He probably doesn't even want her there.

She couldn't continue this line of thought, however, because his shadowed figure silently walked up to her and wrapped her in a tight hug. His breath felt warm against her neck, it was comforting. She couldn't help but take the embrace with everything she had. Her face was surely more than surprised, but she buried it in the crook of his shoulder regardless.

_Now he was the one comforting her. _How did that make any sense? She should have run to him and hugged him, not the opposite.

"Are you okay? You're crying." Deku spoke fluently, no stuttering, no hiccups. For some reason, Ochako noticed this more than anything, and she gave him a squeeze. The fact that she was crying seemed to fly over her head entirely.

"Deku, I'm fine. But what about you, are you okay? What's happening to you?" Uraraka muttered into his shoulder, the two slowly separating, Deku rubbing the back of his neck absentmindedly. Before he could start, however, she added something.

"I-I overheard." There was a pause, and for a second his heart stopped beating, "I overheard you and Bakugo talking. D-Does this have to do with All Might?"

She saw him freeze - that was not a good sign

"Uraraka..." Deku whispered, but stopped abruptly as he seemingly spotted the small dots of tears, running down her cheeks.

She couldn't help it. Not after all of that, not after witnessing him on the floor gasping for air. And not after, even when he had been broken down, he still prioritized her over even himself. Asking if _she _was okay. When she was the one who should have jumped to that question.

Maybe he didn't want to answer that.

It made sense, why he seemed to be more worried about her. She asked him what was wrong but did he not want to tell her?

But she needed to know, she needed clarity, she needed to be able to help him more. She _wanted _to help him more. But, what good would her desire to help him be if he didn't even want her here? Come to think of it, it's not like he asked her to be there for him. She had simply barged in herself.

_Was she in the way right now? _

_No -_ _maybe?_

"Deku, you, can you please t-tell me what's wrong. This is the second time you've had an attack in the same night, so please just let me help you. W-What happened?" Her breath hitched at his face, almost as if he was dreading to answer that question.

W-Was she right before? Did he not want her here? Did he not trust her?

"I-I d-don't.." Izuku began to panic. He didn't know what he could or could not tell her. Explaining what had happened with Kacchan meant explaining All Might's involvement. Why he was actually freaking out about his power and his destiny. Which meant telling her about one for all - which meant endangering her, which meant sharing the secret.

"D-Deku, breathe, calm down, p-please." He didn't seem to notice how close she had gotten to him, but her hand on his shoulder was the only thing dragging him out of his thoughts. "Just breathe ok? Count to 4 and breathe."

"1, 2, 3," he paused, closing his eyes, "4"

"T-Thank you Uraraka," he continued to count in his head, his breath slowing down.

"Deku," her voice sounded sad, she was still crying, "Y-You don't have to tell me. But I want to help you, so please just tell me what's happening so I can try."

And like that he remembered his dilemma, telling her meant _telling_ her.

Izuku's heartbeat rhythmically.

He counted in beats of four.

As he counted, he asked himself why so much was happening in one night.

First a panic attack.

Then, Kacchan.

Then, another attack.

Now, _this_.

...1...2...3...4...

He was so grateful for Uraraka. He considered her one of his best friends. Maybe the person he was closest to here in UA. Since the first day she believed in him, she was different from the other kids. Even Iida had been rather mean, but not her. She was, probably, the first 'friend' figure he had ever met, that wasn't abusive or abrasive at least.

After tonight, he had learned things. Although only a few hours passed, it felt like an eternity. One for All, now Kacchan knew. He only found out because of _his_ idiotic mistakes. And now Kacchan was in much more danger even being around him.

But what if Uraraka knew too? _How could he bring himself to tell her? _Telling her meant bringing her into this messed up world of destiny and secrets. He _couldn't_ tell her the truth. No matter how much he may want to. No matter how much she may want to hear it. She wanted to help him and he treasured that care from a friend. But he couldn't endanger yet another one of his friend's lives. He couldn't. He _wouldn't. _He would NOT endanger his best friend like that, she did _not_ have to know.

But what else could he do in this situation?

Uraraka stood in front of him, tears still hadn't stopped streaming down her face. She awaited him, seemingly patiently.

All he could manage was a small look down, he had nothing. No idea what he should do, or say to her. He could lie, but a part of him knew she wouldn't buy it.

_'She deserves to know'_

'It doesn't matter, she'll be in danger'

_'She's my best friend, and she's worried about me'_

'You'll just make things worse'

_'Just tell her!'_

_"_I...I...I can't..."

She froze.

She had been right before. He _didn't _want her here. He didn't want to share this with her, he didn't trust her like that.

"I _can't_...I can't tell you. I'm sorry. I am _so _sorry. I want to, but I just _can't_." He looked defeated, confused, still sweating like he was torn with a choice that he didn't want to make. But he didn't seem to want to budge. She couldn't blame him, she had fabricated this idea of them being closer than she had thought. Just because _she _could share her inner worries and fears didn't mean he had to.

She was pushing him now, "Deku, I-just wants to h-help you. Please."

She could hear her voice trembling in the darkroom, she didn't like it. She sounded so, desperate? Why couldn't she just accept that he didn't want her around right now? She shouldn't be forcing him to share something he wasn't comfortable sharing with _her. Especially _right after he had just broken down - it was almost making her feel like she was trying to take advantage of him. She _didn't _want that - no she couldn't do that to him...

Izuku felt like dying.

He bit his bottom lip, he bit it _hard. _So hard that a small amount of blood tore through the fragile skin, the irony taste ran across his tongue in an unpleasant manner.

_Why did this have to be so hard_

"I-I'm sorry Uraraka I just can't..."

* * *

"No mom. Ya... _No_...No I'm fine."

After that night, Midoriya and Bakugou were essentially locked in the dorms. They were on house arrest and were put to work cleaning every inch of their living facilities. It sucked having to miss out on all the school progress their classmates were making, but he looked at it as a light punishment for their actions.

"I'm just _worried_ honey, after you told me about what happened, I'm just thinking that this is all too much for you."

The class had been rather angry at the two of them, as the noise their fight had created kept a large sum of them from sleeping. The angriest one of them all was surprisingly Shoji. He claimed that his multiple ears could pick up the trembles from their fight. Midoriya had been worried that his masked friend somehow heard the conversation they had. But it didn't seem like Shoji knew much of anything.

"Mom. I thought we had this conversation before. I'm going to be fine. The last thing I want to do is worry you, but I thought you would want to know just in case. I promise you, I'm doing better."

Even though the two had now made up, Kacchan had not lightened his abrasive nature. He still yelled, cursed, got mad easily, but it had been less targeted towards himself which was a welcomed change. Now the two could even hold a conversation without much trouble, Midoriya could admit however that their "dynamic" was still rather awkward. At least for him. It was a little hard to get used to Kacchan not berating him like a punching bag.

"I know, I know Izuku, I'm sorry. But a panic attack isn't something you can play around with, maybe you can talk to someone? One of your friends? All Might? What about that Uraraka girl you've told me about? You're good friends with her right?"

The three days had passed fast for him, he woke up, cleaned until mid-afternoon with Kacchan, and then hung out with a few of his classmates once they returned from class. He had learned about their meeting of the big three from Kaminari, although Iida was rather reluctant with sharing what they had learned. He was fine though, today was his last day of house arrest, he went back to class tomorrow so he could catch up. Unfortunately, Kacchan still had one more day, but Midoriya thought the boy wouldn't mind all that much. It seemed as if he was still doing some self-reflecting - he had been quieter recently.

"I...I've already talked to All Might about it," Izuku lied, straight through his teeth, "it helped a lot, I'm okay now."

He wasn't okay.

Uraraka had accepted that he couldn't tell her what was wrong. Or, that's what she wanted him to think. The green-haired boy saw straight through her tear-filled smile. She told him that it was ok, that he didn't have to talk about it, not if he didn't want to. She had apologized for pushing, and for overstepping. Even though he tried to assure he she wasn't. But Izuku knew, he knew how she really felt. He knew that she felt crushed, completely inadequate, she felt that he didn't trust her. That's the only logical reason for her to be avoiding him.

But he couldn't do anything, the only thing that could change that would be to tell her about One for All and that would endanger her. He didn't want that.

It probably hurt more than all of this happens right after she confided in him. After he had held her close, after she cried into his chest for hours, she was probably thinking he simply didn't have the same trust for her. The trust she so easily gave to him.

That's what she was thinking when she had made sure he was ok, told him goodnight, and walked out of his room. He knew it, he knew that all she could think about was how much he didn't trust her.

It made him sick.

_He tried._ He tried his hardest to explain to her that he _did_ in fact trust her. That she didn't need to apologize, and that it was just something he _couldn't _share. But she still...

...

After exchanging goodbyes with his mother, he tossed his phone onto the bed and leaned back on his pillow. He hadn't talked to Uraraka in _three_ days, and he was starting to break again.

**Three**. Three days since he had spoken a word to his one of his best friends. Three days since he felt any type of security, any type of...happiness?

He felt terrible. He grasped onto the feeling of her hugging him just to try and feel a little better. He told himself it would be ok, that she wasn't one to get like this. That she wasn't feeling completely useless and unwanted by him. But after she completely avoided him the next day, after she wore a visibly depressed face, he realized that the lies he told himself weren't strong enough. _She_ was strong, she would be ok. His best friend knew better than to believe the garbage that came out of his mouth daily.

**Two**. He had two more panic attacks since that day.

Or at least, he thinks they were attacks. The combination of his fear of not being worthy, or capable even of becoming All Might's successor. And his best friend, the one person that he knew trusted in him. The first person to treat him like a friend. She was currently heartbroken over his own mistakes, his own actions that had put a fork in their previous clean road of trust. This all happened over his own agenda. His own problems. His own world that she wanted to be apart of - but the world that he didn't want for her.

That combination was too much for him to handle.

It was all his fault - _everything_! This was so stupid, to fix this he just had to stop being an idiot and just talk to her! He had tried - it didn't work. How could he force himself onto her when she clearly doesn't want anything to do with him? _How_! _Why_? Why couldn't he tell her his secrets? Why couldn't he just...

**One**. One thirty in the morning and Izuku panted heavily. Tears stained his pillowcase as he gripped his comforter.

His cheeks were a bright red, and sweat had been dripping from his entire body for a good 15 minutes now. This one marked five. His fifth panic attack in less then a week, a smaller one, but it felt just as terrible as the other four. It had gotten to the point where he feared of having nothing to do, as the distractions helped greatly. Without them, he thought too much. He thought of everything that was going on, and he couldn't escape his own mind. No matter how hard he tried.

He cried himself to sleep for the third time that week. Hoping he could get himself together by the next morning, as he would have to go back to classes and see her.


	5. Fear and Help

**Sorry for the wait - enjoy!**

* * *

Ochako was not a dumb girl.

She was not naive.

She was not petty.

And she wasn't one to run away from her problems.

But when Deku had refused to tell her what was wrong. When he essentially told her, to her face, that he did not trust her. That he didn't want her help. That he didn't need her help. She seemed to lose all sense of logic. All sense of feeling, her brain just, shut down. The brown-haired girl honestly could not remember how she had gotten back to her room. All she knew, was one moment Deku was apologizing for not being able to explain his problems, and the next she was balling into her pillow. The worst was she hadn't even known why. Why did she feel so betrayed? She shouldn't be feeling this bad.

Deku had a _right_ to keep his own secrets. There was no obligation to tell her his business. He didn't _have _to explain himself. Hell, he probably _couldn't _explain himself, it might have been too hard for him. Or maybe he had other reasons - but why did it hurt so bad when he said he couldn't tell her?

Part of her knew that she was acting naive, dumb, petty. She was being idiotic. She was being stupid and letting her awkward emotions control her. She shouldn't be crying over something so trivial, so light.

But another part of her, her heart. It felt like she had been stabbed. Like she had opened herself up to a closed barrier.

_He didn't want you_

She had cried into his chest for hours, she told him everything, she was _right_ there when _he_ broke down. All she wanted to do was help him, that's all. She just wanted to help him get past his stress and anxiety. Like he had done for her.

But he told her no.

He told her that she couldn't know. The words that had kept her crying to two and a half days -

_"I can't, I'm sorry."_

\- She felt like an idiot. Maybe she had misread their friendship? Maybe she was acting like a child, like a little girl who got told no. But Ochako didn't care. She felt like crap. Like she had fabricated this bond that the two of them shared.

Her mind seemed to put together the metaphorical pieces of the puzzle. What Bakugo had said about Deku's, '_thing with all Might_' She knew that it had something to do with all of this.

But that meant he trusted _Bakugo _more than her.

The same _Bakugo_ that bullied him his entire life.

The same _Bakugo_ that tormented him as a child.

The same _Bakugo_ that told him to _kill himself._

Did he trust_ him _more than _her?_

Ochako scolded herself, _what was she thinking?_ Those two had known each other their entire lives, no matter how toxic of a relationship it was, it was probably more meaningful than her and Deku's. Not to mention the conversation she had overheard. It seemed that Bakugou truly regretted how he treated Deku over the years, and who is she to judge Deku on his decisions anyway? It's not like she was him, and it's not like she knew everything about their relationship anyway.

To be honest, she already hadn't been feeling good. With it being _that _time of the month, even with her usual logical stance on things, her judgment was admittedly a little frayed. Her cramps were almost unbearable this time around, that combined with Deku suddenly not trusting her, well, Ochako's next few days of class were not the best.

Avoiding him was one thing. But avoiding him even when he had actively searched him out was another. But she just, couldn't face him. Not with how she was feeling, not with her mind screaming at her that she messed things up and that he didn't want her to be involved in his personal life.

She just, wished she could help him the way he needed help

* * *

It was now Wednesday morning, and Ochako had woken up early in order to avoid the one and only Izuku Midoriya. She simply waited the hour that it would take for the rest of her classmates to show up, choosing to try and nap a little in her arms, having no better way to pass the time. Speaking of time, she chose the correct one to have a "fight" with one of her best friends. As he and Bakugo had explained to the class, he was on house arrest until today, with Bakugou returning tomorrow, Thursday.

Fight. She wondered if this could be considered a fight. In truth, the two hadn't said any hurtful words towards each other, at least not on purpose. But Ochako could tell that there was an obvious change of atmosphere between the two. They hadn't said a single word to each other since that night. He had tried, the morning after. Mina saw him outside of Ochako's room, but the brown-haired girl had already gone on her morning run. Mina, being Mina, had let him know of this. So of course, he had tried to find her all day. Ochako had Mina send Deku essentially on a wild goose chase. She just couldn't face him, she was admittedly afraid. Unsure of how she would react, unsure of how _he_ would react, just... unsure.

She admired Deku _so_ _much_. She still had a crush on him, no matter how much she was able to shove those feelings deep inside of her. No matter how hard she tried, it wouldn't completely go away - she wasn't sure if they ever would. Her feelings were definitely _not _helping in this entire situation, however. She had to work double-time to suppress them, and that toppled with her conflicting anger and love for the boy. It all flat out confused her.

Realizing that her attempt at napping was not working out, Ochako opened her eyes and peered upwards in the class. She was almost shocked out of her seat when her pupils fixated on a green-haired boy sitting at his desk.

_Had he come in here when she was trying to sleep?_ _Why hadn't he made any noise? Was he too scared to talk to her or something? _A part of her was wondering if he was going through what _she _was going through. That fear of worsening an already bad situation between them. Looking a little closer, Ochako's face shifted to a worried expression. Deku's eyes looked so dark, it could very well be mistaken for makeup. He must not have gotten any sleep last night. His head rested in one of his hands, possibly to stop the pain of a headache or migraine. The boy's teeth were clenched so tightly, Ochako feared they would break from the pressure. Needless to say, Deku looked _terrible_.

Ochako _immediately _began to worry out of her mind. She hadn't even thought of the possibility that her childish behavior could be giving him more stress and anxiety. He was probably having panic attacks over _her _now. _Ugh_! _How could she be such an idiot?_ She had to start realizing her actions affected others, he was having his own issues and her acting like a brat and avoiding him was _not_ helping at all.

Ochako felt like _she_ would be having a panic attack soon. _How could she be this idiotic?_ _Was he ok?_ He looked so hurt. _Did he have a migraine?_ His face was pale, almost like he was about to throw up. She can't believe she had let her own awkward feelings stop her from _helping him. _He needed help, it was so obvious, he _needed_ help that he wasn't getting.

Before she could express her concerns out loud however, the rest of Class 1-A began filing into homeroom. Most of the class greeting Midoriya with glee, welcoming him back to school. The good news was that he seemed to perk up slightly. He had stopped holding his head, and his teeth were no longer touching. But it was obvious to her, all of this was forced. It probably didn't help that the class had been giving them looks - she couldn't blame them. They went from talking daily to not talking for a week straight. It probably was obvious something was up.

Class after class, Uraraka tried her hardest to just talk to Midoriya. But she couldn't. She couldn't bring herself to face him, not after she had been acting like such an idiot these past few days. She knew that she had to talk to him, but after each class ended, she simply rushed off to the next one.

It was now lunchtime, and as the class filed into the cafeteria, Uraraka stood by the entrance. She had to speak to him, no matter what. So she forced herself to stand by the entrance, so there was no way he could miss her.

The cramping made her queasy, and eating was probably the last thing she felt like doing at the moment. So all she could do was wait, wait for him to run into her. But soon five minutes passed, then ten, and now almost half the lunch period was over and there was no sign of her green-haired friend anywhere. She was genuinely worried, where else could he have gone?

Full of defeat, Uraraka turned around and walked into the cafeteria. She sat down beside Tsu, Mina, and Yaomomo. All three looked at her apprehensively. Being slightly closer to Ochako then the other two, Tsu spoke up first. "Ochako, are you alright? We have all noticed you've been looking down lately, kero."

"Ya hun, you haven't spoken to Midoriya like _all _week, and you made me send him all over campus just to keep him away from you. We know somethings wrong, does it have something to do with Midoriya? Or is it something else?" Mina asked carefully. The last thing the pink girl wanted was to touch on something that could make Ochako flip. It just wasn't like the girl to be this down.

"Speaking of Midoriya, he looked pretty terrible today as well. Just before this period, he went to the nurse, apparently, he had a horrendous migraine." Yaoyoruzu added, sharing the same uneasy look like the rest of the girls.

'_Well, that explained where Deku was.' _But at least

The girls were patient, waiting silently for Ochako to respond to their questioning. She honestly did not have the patience for this, all she wanted to do was talk to Deku. She needed to apologize, and she needed to try and help him more. If he had really gone to recovery girl, he must be worse than she thought. Maybe she should tell All Might, or Recovery Girl, or Mr. Aizawa.

"U-Um...well. Me and Deku, we sort of, had a fight," Ochako paused to figure out how to word her explanation, although it was hard to stay on track with the looks of utter shock on the girl's faces, "r-really it was me just acting childish. I think I've been emotional lately, and he didn't really even say anything bad. I just took something he said the wrong way, and I'm sure he took me not talking to him pretty harshly."

Tsu placed her hand on Ochako's shoulder, "I think you just need to talk to him kero. This whole thing seems like a misunderstanding." Mina and Yaoyoruzu nodded in agreement.

_If only they knew_

"Ya, I know. I've been trying to all day but I just...can't for some reason."

* * *

Izuku opened his eyes. It took him around three seconds to realize he was still in Recovery Girls office, and it looked like he had been sleeping on the small cot that laid in the back of the room. Absentmindedly yawning and rubbing his eyes, Izuku thought back to earlier in the day. He had come to Recovery Girls office just before lunch, his headache was just unbearable.

She had given him some type of pill and then told him to lay down. The pain had been excruciating, so he could hardly remember what she was talking about right beforehand. But now, it seemed like his head had cleared up almost completely. Swinging his legs onto the floor, Izuku realized how wrong he was.

Almost breaking the skin of his bottom lip, Izuku made a mental note that his head was still EXTREMELY sensitive. No more sudden movements.

"Don't worry, it's normal. You had a pretty nasty cephalgia, or migraine as you might call it," Recovery girl spoke handing the boy a glass of water and another pill, "take this. You were asleep for the back half of the school day. I would send you back to class but there are only fifteen minutes until classes end and your in no condition to be doing physical training."

Taking the pill, and swallowing 2/3 of the water, Izuku took a deep breath. He really had slept a long time. Well, at least he didn't miss the classes that assigned physical work.

"You are not getting enough sleep Midoriya. I'm not sure what the problem is, but I'm going to prescribe you these sleeping pills. Take two before you go to bed and you shouldn't have any more trouble falling asleep, or _staying_ asleep if that's the case." Recovery girl handed him a small pill bottle and walked off to her desk. She reached into a small closet that sat behind her computer and pulled out what looked to be a heating pad. "A chiropractor who practices a few minutes away from the school was in to check on another student earlier. She took a look at your back, apparently, you had contusions all along your spine and mainly up around your neck and shoulders. She was able to fix most of it, and she said that had been the source of your migraine. She also mentioned that the contusions were there in the first place because of continuous stress on the body."

Izuku immediately thought back to his five panic attacks. It made sense, putting his mind and body under that much stress, in that short of a time span, no wonder he had been so messed up with the "contusions" as Recovery girl called them.

"Well, I've been having these panic attacks... over the last couple of days. It might have something to do with that." Izuku choked out, trying not to think to hard about them. To be honest, Izuku didn't feel like thinking about any of that right now, but he knew he should at least be honest with Recovery Girl.

The old lady stared into Midoriya's eyes, a look of worry mixed with pity could be seen. She took a deep breath and walked back towards the boy.

"I am not a therapist, so I am not the right person to try and help you with this situation. The closest therapist to U.A. is a few hours away, and to be truthful, he is not the best. I think you should talk to All Might. I am not sure if this has anything to do with One for All, or if it's something completely different. But you two share a bond, and I think he would be able to help you."

Midoriya thought hard on what Recovery Girl had said. His mother had suggested the same thing to him. Maybe talking to All Might was the right move, he was probably the closest thing to a 'father' that Izuku had. And his attacks originated with his fear of not being worthy of One for All. Maybe All Might could help get him over that fear. He wasn't quite sure if All Might could help him with Uraraka, but who knows. Maybe All Might was secretly a woman's expert.

"I think talking to All Might is a good solution. I haven't seen him in a few days since I was on house arrest, do you know where he is?"

"Oh Toshinori is teaching a class right now, I'll tell him to stop by your dorm later, so don't worry. For now, though, take this heating pad. It's electric, and the batteries are fully charged. The chiropractor suggested you wear it on your left shoulder. I would usually drive you back to the dorms myself, but I think walking a little will help get your blood flowing, so just take it very easy." Recovery girl explained, handing him the heating pad and helping him stand up.

"T-Thank you, Recovery Girl. I know I'm in here a lot, but I really appreciate all that you've done to help me." Midoriya assured, sending a warm smile towards the helpful lady.

"Don't mention it, kid, it's my job. Now hurry on, and don't forget to take it easy!"


	6. Secrets and Truths

**This chapter is pretty long - very big in terms of story and plot direction. A small divergence from canon will happen here as well (but tbh most of this story is straying from canon) Don't worry Season 4 stuff will start to happen shorty - I have PLENTY of ideas lol**

**Now - please have fun reading this as I took a long time to write it. Leave a review as they help me write more - thx again for the support!**

* * *

Izuku was walking, _very, _slowly.

So slowly, in fact, he feared he wouldn't get back to the dorms until classes were over. The pain killer Recovery Girl gave him hadn't kicked in yet, and he could feel it.

"Oi! Deku!"

Izuku recognized the loud, raspy voice coming from behind him. Just as he was about to turn around, he remembered the small note he had given himself earlier. Izuku stopped, and slowly shifted around to face his friend. "H-Hey Kacchan."

Jogging to catch up to him, Bakugo wore a look of slight confusion on his face, "The hell are you doing? Classes don't let out for another, what, ten minutes?"

Izuku scratched the back of his head and the combination of a wince and a smirk could be seen on his face, "Well, I got released early by Recovery Girl. I had a migraine, apparently from not sleeping enough." The boy's face sunk slightly as he finished explaining, he wondered if telling Kacchan was the right move here. They _were_ closer now after all.

He responded with a small grunt, and the two boys continued walking back to Heights alliance. Bakugo had started faster than Izuku, almost immediately walking past him. When he realized that he had left Izuku in the dust, he turned around with a slightly worried expression. "Are you good? You're moving like four eyes when he stalls."

"Oh, I-I'm sorry, I can't move that fast, my heads very sensitive. You can go on without me, I'll catch up." Izuku assured, hoping the boy wouldn't get too loud. It was to his surprise however, when Kacchan let out a low sigh and stopped walking. He waited for Izuku to catch up to him, and then matched his snail-like pace.

_Great_. Now Izuku felt even worse. Kacchan didn't have to walk at such a slow speed. He _knew_ how slow he was going, it was like the flash sitting in traffic, it just didn't make sense. But he looked on the bright side, at least this showed progress. Honestly, it was a bit weird having Kacchan treat him like a friend. But it was a welcomed weird.

"T-Thanks..." Izuku whispered, smiling slightly, "so, what were you doing outside, aren't you still on house-arrest?"

Bakugo grunted, "ya, I was just throwing the trash in the dumpster. I swear to god, these people are fucking slobs."

Izuku let out a minuscule chuckle in response, "Ya, especially Mineta. He had like four garbage bags full of tissue."

They both shivered, they didn't want to even think about where all that came from, it was so disgusting.

The boys shared a brief period of comfortable silence. Izuku was _painfully_ aware of how slowly they were walking, but Bakugo didn't seem to mind. Well, more like he probably _did _mind, but he just didn't show it on the outside.

Izuku took a deep breath. He had been contemplating whether or not he should bring up his situation with Uraraka to Bakugou, as he was the only other one of his classmates who had questioned him about All Might. Uraraka hadn't even done that fully, but he could tell she had her suspicions. "K-Kacchan?"

He grunted in response.

"It's...it's Uraraka. She's the reason I haven't been sleeping." Izuku realized he had answered a question that was never asked, but it felt good to say it out loud. It was the truth after all. Well, part of the truth he guessed.

Katsuki glanced over to Izuku, "Ya. I could tell. You two haven't even talked to each other all week."

Izuku winced at the observation, "was it that obvious."

"Well, ya," Katsuki chuckled, "you fucking dorks used to never leave each other's side, and it's obvious she's been avoiding you. Everyone can tell there's something wrong."

His heart _dropped_

_Had it really been that obvious?!_

"So what the hell happened? How'd you piss off Round Face of all people?"

He absentmindedly rubbed his right arm, "That's the thing. I'm not sure how. Well, I am, but not really." Izuku thought about how to proceed. Realizing that it would help to get this off his chest, he took a deep breath, "It started the night we fought. I was freaking out over being the only person who held One for All, and I had a panic attack."

Bakugou's eyes widened, and a worried expression wiped over his face, "You had a fucking _panic_ _attack_, then just got up and fought me? The hell is wrong with you?!"

"Well, that's the thing," he looked down to his left, "Uraraka found me and helped me. You came a few hours after I had it."

Bakugou smirked, "well that explains why she was in your room."

"_You saw her?_"

"Ya. Kinda hard to miss when she was sleeping in your bed," a genius idea popped into the explosive boy's mind, "Thought you two were fucking or something."

Izuku's face being red would be an extreme understatement, "K-KACCHAN!?" This burst of embarrassment was cut short as suddenly, his head _exploded_ with pain.

Katsuki cackled to himself, he thoroughly enjoyed teasing Deku, even if it wasn't in bad nature. Force of habit he guessed. His laughter would be cut short, however, as he noticed the boy had fallen to a knee - clutching his head as it would soon fall off.

"Shit! Deku, what's wrong?" The worried blonde hurriedly asked, kneeling next to Izuku. The slightly younger boy was clenching his teeth, and gripping his forehead so tightly small red marks could be seen. "Hey. Just calm down, breathe. Stop putting your head in a death grip."

Katsuki, using as little force as necessary, grabbed the boy's wrist and pulled his hand away from his cranium. A hand landed at the top of the boy's back, and for the next two minutes all could be heard from Katsuki's mouth was "Breathe in...and out...just fucking breathe."

Within those two minutes, Izuku had finally been able to stand up again, "T-Thank you."

"No. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have gotten you all fucking riled up when you just had a migraine. You good now?"

The boy found his friend's tone rather pleasing, "y-yah, my heads just sensitive. I'm sorry for holding you up for so long."

Bakugo looked the boy up and down, he found it so fucking weird that he could apologize for literally doing nothing wrong. He'd have to beat that habit out of him when he wasn't feeling like shit. "So. You were saying about Uraraka?"

Izuku took a deep breath, "she asked about One for All."

Bakugo stopped walking and almost lashed out at the boy. He told _another _fucking person?! That was it, he simply could not be trusted with his own damn secret

Katsuki calmed himself, "Deku...how the hell did she find out about One for All?"

"I-Oh, she didn't actually use the name One for All," Bakugou let out a breath he didn't know he was holding, "But... she asked why I was having the panic attacks and she think it was related to All Might. She isn't wrong I guess. But it seemed like she was suspicious, and I told her I couldn't tell her. I'm not sure, maybe it was the way I said it - but I'm pretty sure she thinks I can't trust her now. She avoided me all day Sunday. And she hasn't tried talking to me since."

Katsuki thought for a few minutes. This wasn't good, for Deku, for him, for All Might, and even for Uraraka. She was meddling with a subject she really fucking shouldn't be meddling with. It was pissing Katsuki off. If she was as smart as she was during their fight, then he had no doubt in his mind that she could figure out what he had figured out.

"Listen. I think we have to talk about this with All Might. She might already know everything about One For All, and if she does, we need to know." Katsuki chose not to watch the other boy's expressions, he frankly just didn't feel like it. "About the other thing, depending on what All Might says, I think you should just talk to her. She's not a dunce, she'll be fine if you just explain to her that you have your secrets and that you trust her."

While Izuku wanted to feel better after hearing that, he simply couldn't. His head was lightly pounding, his heart throbbed at the pain he put Uraraka through, and All Might was already coming to talk to him. He knew Kacchan was right, but he just couldn't think straight.

"Kacchan...I know your right. I have to talk to her, but right now I have All Might coming to my dorm to talk to me," Izuku let out a low groan and stumbled forward a bit, which scared the shit out of Bakugou, "right now I just wanna pass out."

Bakugou thought for a second, "when we get back, just go up to your dorm and sleep. You need it." Izuku looked to interject, but Katsuki was quicker, "I'll talk to All Might for you, I'll tell him everything and I'll have him come see you tomorrow after School. I know your gonna disagree but just listen, you need rest. You almost just fucking died from getting embarrassed, you think you'd be able to handle a heavy conversation with All Might?"

Izuku found it hard to say yes.

"Alright then. I'll talk to him, and after school, he'll find you and talk to you."

"Thank you."

"And one more thing, why'd you say you were having those attacks again?"

Slightly hesitant, Izuku spoke, "I-I guess it's just this... creeping anxiety that I'm the only person with One For All now. It was just easier before when I knew All Might still have the quirk in his system too, but now it's just me. Honestly, it's freaking me out and I don't know if _I'm_ capable of carrying out all of this responsibility."

It felt good to speak aloud, finally, for Izuku to just say what was bothering him made him feel a lot better. Like he had finally gotten it out in the open.

"I get it," Bakugo responded, taking a moment to think, "But you know you're not the only person in on this anymore. I'm here, and sure you still got the quirk and the responsibility and all that shit but if you end up failing I'll just carry it out for you. You may be the chosen one but I don't need some destiny crap to be the number one and keep the peace. So don't sweat it."

A comfortable silence fell between the two before Izuku uttered a small, "Thanks."

He knew deep down that he could do it. But hearing clarification from Bakugo that he would have him alongside him in this journey, it felt nice.

The two boys chose to be silent on the rest of the way back to the dorms. Well, it could be said that neither of them felt like talking. Silence would be more than enough filler for the two.

* * *

"D-Deku?"

Ochako stood in the open doorway to Izuku's dormitory. He was sitting on the edge of his bed - and the impending silence leads her to believe he wanted her to come in. At least she hoped that was the case.

Moving forward into the darkroom, Ochako flipped his desk lamp on and shut the door behind her. The room was still very dim - but at least she could see his face. His face...it was so lost. He was afraid, she knew that look, the same look he had when they were faced with All for One's malice. He was afraid to talk to her - he was _afraid_ to talk to _her. _

This was all _so_ _wrong_. He shouldn't be afraid.

Her body moved across his floor and sat down next to him. It took a second, but in the blink of an eye, she had wrapped her arms around him. He didn't immediately return it, but she felt his shoulders shaking.

"I-I'm _so_ sorry Uraraka." A mangled, crying sob followed his words and only made her grip him tighter, "It's all my fault, I should have-"

"Stop it Deku." Her voice cut him off immediately. With a few seconds of silence that followed, she took note of the fact that he was most definitely crying. He seemed to always be crying... she should do something about that after this. "Listen, this is all _my _fau-"

"Uraraka you do not have to take the blame," Izuku quickly choked out making her slightly frustrated, "if I wasn't such a stupid prick none of this would have happened and we would be perfectly fine. But instead, I just made everything worse and... and..."

It was like talking to a brick wall with him. All he did was blame himself, when in reality he had nothing to apologize for, "Deku," Ochako's arms loosened as she pulled back slightly, "just let me talk... please?"

He almost looked like he was going to deny her, although that would not have stopped her. Thankfully though - he stayed quiet.

"I know what you going to say, but your not to blame here. Really, you did nothing wrong Deku."

Izuku made a pouting look that screamed of disagreement, but Uraraka continued anyway.

"We are close Deku. I don't know if it's the same with you," a glossy coating of tears brimmed her eyes, "but you're truly my best friend Deku. I trust you more than anyone else - I trusted you enough to open up about the training camp. I still trust you with everything that I have...and I thought that automatically meant you have the same trust for me."

Izuku looked like he wanted to bud in, but his willpower was strong enough for this desire to be held down.

"I know you trust me Deku. I just never considered that there was something you _didn't _trust me with. And that was my fault, I was too selfish in thinking that I deserved to know all of your problems. I'm sorry."

Izuku finally looked up to her eyes, both teens were crying or on the verge of crying, and all that was going through the boy's mind was how much of an idiot he had been. This girl... Uraraka... she was his best friend. He _cared for her so deeply. _To keep this secret from her, he should have told her sooner. Then none of this would have happened.

"Uraraka?"

The girl looked surprised by the sudden question, "y-yah?"

"...you're my best friend too. I trust you with my life, I'd trust you with anything possible."

A light flush appeared on her cheeks, and she began to stammer out an inaudible list of words. Until she finally seemed to snap out of it and looked down, "Deku...thank you," she leaned forward and fully embraced her friend once more with everything she had, "a-and I'm sorry I didn't come here sooner or even try to talk to you. That's all my fault, to be honest..."

He finally returned the hug full force, squeezing her a bit too tight, but she didn't mind. She began to grow silent in Izuku's arms, which worried him, and the feeling even grew stronger as she pulled away and shifted over the bed a little.

"Uraraka?"

"I...I let's just say this week I was _emotional_ ..."

_Emotional? What did she mean by that? _The confused look in his eyes was enough to flare up her blush again - but then hit him. Izuku's eyes widened in realization, and he suddenly started to put the pieces in his mind together.

"A-and...I was acting like a total _bitch_. Whatever you said to me the other night about not being able to tell me...I just took it the total wrong way. It felt like you didn't want me around or something. That's why... I haven't talked to you. I'm _so_ sorry."

Reaching over, Izuku moved her face to look at his. It was full of embarrassment - but Izuku's was not. It seemed like he was having one of those moments of random confidence.

"Hey. You don't have to apologize. First off, I should have phrased it better at the time. And secondly, it's not your fault that your body does that. You can't control it...and you don't have to worry cuz I grew up with my mom so I understand everything. And either way, it doesn't matter, that doesn't excuse how I've been acting and how I couldn't share this with you."

Honestly, she was about to cry from the sincerity in Izuku's voice and how much he understood. She didn't expect that maybe that's why she wasn't freaking out over how he had just tilted her face to his like in the movies. It was sort of soothing, having him there to comfort her like that.

A little light bulb went off in Izuku's head - for within three seconds he had grabbed a gray looking pad from the other side of his bed and was holding it in front of Uraraka.

"Here, use this ok? It's a heating pad I got from the nurse - my mom used to use one. She used to get them pretty bad..."

Starstruck was probably the correct definition of Ochako's mind at the moment. "D-Deku...thank you so much," Ochako was amazed and _so _grateful. "W-Wait! Don't you need to use this if you got it from the nurse?"

"No! No! I already used it earlier - just remember to return it to Recovery Girl sometime tomorrow, or she might get mad at me haha."

Ochako cracked a thankful smile and took the heating pad. Izuku was damn near perfect of a boy - god why couldn't she just love and date him right now? _Oh_ _right_..._hero_ _thing_

She almost forgot.

"Hey."

Uraraka looked up from her thoughts to see Deku standing in the middle of the room. He looked serious - almost like he was in thought.

"What is it Deku?"

"I want to prove to you that I trust you. I feel like I've done a crappy job of that so far."

"Deku. I understand that we can't tell each other everything," the girl stood up and joined Deku in the middle of his room, "I have secrets too, you don't have to worry."

Izuku looked down towards the ground, "I know Uraraka. But I think you should know this."

The girl instinctively moved a small amount closer to him. He looked ready to hurl from figuring out how to explain whatever he was about to tell her.

"Me. Iida and Todoroki. We... we were the ones who brought down Stain."

* * *

"You know. That was smart, having Round~Face go in there first."

Standing outside of the one and only Izuku Midoriya's dorm room, were two blondes. One frail and tall, the other muscular and short. Their names were Katsuki Bakugou, and All Might.

"I only got the idea thanks to you. Your the one who told me everything, and you're the one who almost literally shoved the girl into my office."

"She wasn't listening to me, what else was I gonna do?"

Toshinori sighed, he silently cursed himself for being slightly amused at the younger blondes antics. Funny enough, it reminded him of Endeavor when they were younger.

"You could've just asked _me _to come to talk to her... you know... me... the teacher?"

Katsuki scoffed at the revelation, failing to keep his cool at how easy the solution actually was. He hated it when other people were right.

Toshinori glanced at his watch and breathed out just a little too loudly to go unnoticed. Bakugo looked up to the bony man, and for once he wasn't completely confident in his decision.

"Are you _sure _we can trust her?"

Toshinori looked down to meet Katsuki's glance, "Young Midoriya trusts her, and that's enough for me."

A low growl emitted from the young boy's throat, "but does that mean _we _can trust her? How do we know she won't just go tell this to everyone in the class."

"YoungBakugo_," _Toshinori spoke clearly, "I would like to remind you that Uraraka is one of your classmates. You both go to UA, and this school doesn't just let in anyone. If Midoriya trusts her, I trust her, and I hope you can find it in your heart to trust her as well."

At that, Bakugo had gone silent, All Might made had made an infuriatingly good point.

"That, and if what you told me was correct, she was already on the right path to figuring it out her self. It's better if she finds out this way."

"Fine."

* * *

All Might took a step into the dimly lit room and was slightly surprised to find 2 figures embracing in the center. A smile formed on his sunken face, everything was going to be ok. He had to have faith in his successor.

The two teens seemed to realize that someone had entered the room, as they both quickly unlatched from each other, sniffing and wiping away each of their respective tears.

Uraraka recognized the lanky figure first, "A-All Might?"

The former number one hero closed the door behind him and flicked the light switch on. He finally was able to get a good look at his students. They looked slightly disheveled and emotionally drained. Well, this next part might not be the most fun, all things considering.

"Midoriya my boy...it's time."

Ochako glanced at Deku, the look on his face was nothing shy of serious. He seemed to be pondering something, and for a moment she was generally concerned. After that news-bomb Deku had dropped on her what else could be so big? What was All Might talking about? The man in question walked over to Midoriya's bed. As he sat down, his bandaged hand patted a spot right next to him, "Uraraka, you might want to sit down for this."

Izuku walked over to his desk and rolled the chair over in front of Uraraka. Himself and his master had decided that if Uraraka was to know, he would have to be the one to explain it. All Might would help fill in the blanks, but Izuku had to deliver the statement.

Taking a seat, now sitting in front of Uraraka, he palmed some material from his sweatpants. He was nervous, no doubt about it. He was about to bring his best friend into the mess that was his quirk. He was about to possibly endanger her for the rest of her life.

Ochako was completely confused, what were they talking about? Well, she had some sort of idea. It might have something to do with what she had overheard a few nights ago. Izuku's "_thing_" with All Might.

"Uraraka. When you asked me what was wrong with me, I... I couldn't answer you. We just talked about this, so it might seem repetitive. But...there's a reason I couldn't tell you."

She listened on intently, she felt a pang in her chest every time he paused mid-sentence. It was almost like every time he paused, he was about to drop a bomb on her that would change everything.

Would this change everything?

"If I tell you, it would endanger you. It would complicate things. It would... change... _everything_, because - because... " He stopped for a brief moment to collect his thoughts, this was harder than he imagined, "Because if you know this secret, your entire career could be affected. Your _life _Uraraka, I need to know. There is a chance, a slight chance, maybe even minuscule enough to forget. But it cannot go unmentioned. If you knew there was a chance that knowing this secret could kill you. Would you still want to know?"

_What?_

Her eyes widened slightly, and the tear-stained orbs shifted back. _She could die?_ _Just from knowing this?_ There was no wonder he couldn't tell her the first time she asked. It was simply too dangerous.

Fortunately, or maybe, _unfortunately_, Ochako was not phased by this. If she could be closer to him in any way, knowing this secret was the next step. She wanted to be apart of his life, she needed to be. For his sake and hers, she wanted to be there.

"_Yes_."

The look in his eyes wanted to make her think twice, "Uraraka, _please_ think about this. Your family, the whole reason you became a hero could be put in danger by you knowing this."

The brown hair girl froze - if only for a short second - but she did freeze. Her family was more important to her than anything else. This secret, could endanger them? She wasn't even sure if that was a risk she was willing to take.

"Deku... I-"

Like someone had slapped her across the face, her eyes shot open even wider. _What was she thinking? _This was Izuku Midoriya, her best friend, the person she truly loved. She hated the thought of possibly putting her parents in danger, but if that were to ever happen she would make sure to be strong enough to save them. Not like Deku would let anything happen anyway, he was too good a person for that.

"It's still yes, I want to know, if it means putting me and my family in danger I will just... make sure I can stop that danger when the time comes."

Izuku gulped, not sure if her confirmation actually made anything easier. But he couldn't stop now, he already decided on this earlier when he spoke to All Might. He _had_ to tell her, she deserved to know. In the end, she would figure it out anyway. His best friend was smart, very smart. Especially now, since he knew she had overheard his conversation with Bakugou.

"Ok. Before I tell you, you need to know. This getting out, this becoming public knowledge," he looked towards the floor, "everyone I know would be in danger. The school, You, Bakugo, everyone in the class, all of your families. My mother."

The tone of the room had changed drastically, not going unnoticed to Uraraka. This was obviously very serious, Izuku was speaking from his heart.

She honestly was a bit frightened by what this secret could be. It seemed more than just an average withheld truth, it seemed like something _big._

"You need to promise me, with everything you have, that no matter _what_ happens. This secret can _not_ get out." His green-tinted eyes now landed on hers. They were, threatening? But softly, like he was warning her in the kindest way possible.

That was a look she had _never seen from Deku before, not once. It was a bit, troubling. His usual soft face was replaced by this glare that screamed you will be ok, but if not everyone will die so you better be ok._

"So promise me. You will never tell a _single_ soul what you're about to hear."

Uraraka started back at her friend, she found herself clenching his bedsheets, she wasn't used to this new Deku. This, _powerful_ Deku.

"I _promise _you!" She seemed to find some confidence as she spoke, "I will never tell anyone. I swear on my life, I would never do that to you."

The slightly frightened girl watched as Izuku slowly cracked a smile, "I know you won't."

A brief period of silence fell over the three, he seemed to be contemplating how to continue once again. She didn't mind, Uraraka welcomed the time to think.

After a few seconds, Izuku spoke, "I was born quirk-less, you know that," she nodded, "I never developed a quirk. My entire childhood, I dreamed of being like All Might. He was my idol, but when the doctor told me the reality of it all. I broke..."

The boy brought a hand up to the back of his neck, absentmindedly rubbing his nape as he continued, "that's when the bullying started. It was just a reminder that I was different, not normal. And even though I got used to it, that feeling never drifted. That feeling of being inferior."

Ochako shifted in her seat, the topic was heavy. She was expecting it, and part of her knew all of this already. But her anxious mind was not letting her sit still.

"It all started that day, the one where Bakugou got captured by the slug villain. I've told you about it before I'm pretty sure, It was only a half-hour or so beforehand, but I had been attacked by the same villain"

While even though a worried pang shot through her heart, it wasn't a big revelation. She knew he was safe as he was telling her this story now, but he was still Deku. She still cared for him even if it was his past self.

"All Might saved me. And being the fanboy I am, I jumped onto him when he flew off. I knocked the villain free by accident, and that's how he got away. All Might was forced to land on a roof...and that's when he shrunk down to the form he is in now." The girl turned her head to All Might, confusion and expectancy clouded her face. Toshinori sighed.

The older man stood up and lifted the left side of his shirt lightly.

There, a large wound could be seen.

It took a minute for it to register to her - her eyes widened and her heart stopped for a brief second before she had even known what she was looking at. "A-All Might?! Are you okay? What happened?!"

With another sigh, Toshinori began, "Six years ago, I fought All for One, the same villain I just fought a few weeks ago. The fight was hidden from the public, but I received this injury from that encounter. One of my lungs, ninety percent of my stomach, and a large chunk of my organs were destroyed."

Tears began to form in the corner of Uraraka's eyes, and Izuku looked on with despair. He cried when he first heard the story as well, it was a tough listen. Hearing about his master nearly dying to the hands of his arch-nemesis... it was hard.

"It left me weakened. My muscle form you are probably familiar with, I could only hold it for three hours a day by the time I had met Young Midoriya."

Izuku took the chance to jump back into the conversation, "He told me this. I was one of the few people on Earth who knew at the time. And afterward... I asked if I could be a hero. Even though I was quirk-less."

There was a pause when All Might looked down, "I told him no."

That sounded so terrible, but it made sense. If Deku was quirkless than being a hero was off the table, but he could have worded it better.

Her tears begged to fall, but she couldn't break down just yet. She needed to stay composed, she _needed_ to hear the rest of this story.

"I was walking home afterward. It wasn't like I didn't know it already before that, but I still had some small hope that I could... but when I heard those words from All Might my whole life had just been shattered, every dream I ever had. Gone." Izuku rested his arm on the chairs, "and that's when I saw the villain again. But this time, he had Kacchan."

All Might sat back down next to Uraraka, "I was there. But I couldn't save him, my quirk wouldn't allow it, so all I could do was watch as young Bakugo slowly died. But..."

Uraraka looked back and forth between her teacher and Izuku, neither of them were speaking. She started to grow confused and worried.

"But..." Izuku picked up the sentence, "I couldn't."

Ochako _almost_ slapped the green-haired boy where he sat. _He ran straight at a villain while he was quirkless? He could have died._

"Deku. That was so...stupid." Izuku looked down at the words of his friend, knowing that she was right, "but... it was also heroic. Your lucky All Might was there. You could have died right next to Bakugo if he wasn't."

"I know..."

"But...what does this have to do with the secret?"

Izuku took a deep breath, here it goes. "Later that day, when I was walking home. All Might caught up to me. He asked me if I wanted to be his successor. I thought he was being crazy because I was quirkless, how could I succeed the number one hero? It was then that he then told me... about One for All."

_One for All?_

_Huh?_

Ochako looked dumbfounded, "One...for All? Like All for One?"

"Exactly. This is going to get a bit confusing so just pay attention - back when quirks originally manifested in people, there was this one person. His quirk, it was to steal and give away quirks. That person was All for One." Uraraka's mouth was slightly open like she was on the edge of her seat to find out what happened next.

He continued, "All for One, he had a brother. That brother was quirk-less. So, All for One gifted his brother a quirk. But... it turned out that the brother _did _have a quirk. One that would otherwise be useless, he had the ability to pass on his quirk."

Izuku took another breathe, "That brother. He hated who All for One was and what he stood for. All for One was a calamity, a person who controlled evil and brought Villains to power. So he devoted his life to stop him. But, he couldn't, not in his lifetime alone, so he passed on his quirk to another Hero. That quirk, that is what is called One for All. Generation after generation, this quirk was passed down. As it was passed, the strength of the quirk increased. Almost like a stockpiling effect. Eventually, it was passed down to All Might, and All Might offered to pass it down to me."

The pieces started to come together in her mind, "so..."

"Yes. All Might, the 8th holder of One for All, passed it onto me. I'm the ninth holder of this power."

...

...

...

"Woah."

A snort escaped Izuku's mouth at Uraraka's initial reaction to his secret. She looked dumbfounded and frankly a little silly. Her mouth hung open and her eyes had been stuck wide for quite a while now.

"Uraraka that face is so cute!"

Before realizing what he had just said, he saw the cheeks of his brown-haired friend light up bright pink. Did he say something wrong?

Oh, wait-

That's when it hit him, _did he seriously just call Uraraka cute right in front of her?!_

The girl got quiet, rather shy even, "Deku, I-I...thank you?""

Before Izuku could awkwardly answer - a rather loud cough followed by some humorous blood interrupted their little banter. It was All Might, and he seemed fed up that the two had forgotten that he was even there. Although he had to admit the two teens were rather adorable together, "Why don't we get back to the conversation. There is still some more explaining to be done."

"R-Right!"

"S-Sorry All Might!"

"The only other person who knows this is Bakugo, I'm sure you have figured this out by now, however." Toshinori guessed wisely as Uraraka nodded her head. "Listen, I know I defeated All For One. I know he is behind bars and that makes all these dangers young Midoriya has been preaching a lot less prevalent in your mind."

"But that isn't the case." Izuku finished the older man's sentence, slightly shocking Toshinori. He could tell his successor was becoming more mature with each passing day, sooner or later he won't be around. It was good to see the boy take this role so well.

"He has a successor too. Shigaraki."

Uraraka's eyes widened to the familiar yet unwelcome name. _Shigaraki_. The man who tormented their class tried to kill them on many occasions, obsessed over All Might's death and... the man who was millimeters away from killing Deku. "S-Shigaraki is All for One's successor? The man who nearly killed you All Might? You're telling me this monster has a successor and he is still out there?"

Oxhako was almost getting a bit mad. It was a normal reaction, _who wouldn't be mad_? It seemed like all the work All Might had put in for stopping All for One was just written over.

"That's not the worst part Uraraka. The worst part is, he knows who I am. He knows I have One for All."

"..._WHAT_?!"

"Uraraka-"

"No! What do you mean he knows who you are!? Doesn't that mean he knows about your mom too?! What about us? He probably knows we're friends and we're classmates anyway so he could easily come for-"

"Uraraka!" Izuku shouted cutting the girl off from her minor freak-out. The girl seemed frightened by the boy's sudden outburst but didn't lose her edge.

"Deku. This is serious."

"I know."

"Then what are we going to do?"

"I don't... listen it's not as bad as it seems."

"Please tell me why then!"

Izuku took a moment to compose himself, "Look. As far as we know he is the only person who knows of me. The rest of the league is in the dark - not to mention he doesn't have the forces or resources to harm us. There is a reason we were put into dorms."

That made a lot of sense. She was now putting pieces together in her mind. That part _did_ make sense, "oh, I guess that makes a lot of sense."

"As long as we are here, we are safe. As for our families, it's not like he knows your guys' personal info. He has no reason to suspect anything when it comes to who I'm close to and who are the people I value most in life."

Uraraka started to feel a little dumb, "oh, I-I'm sorry for lashing out like that. It's just-"

"I get it, you don't have to apologize. To be truthful this isn't perfect. That's why we have to train..._I_ have to train to get stronger and be prepared."

She remembered at that moment his panic attacks. Was _this_ the reason he was having them? Did he feel like he was in this alone?

She couldn't have that, "I _promise_ you Deku I will be there right next to you, I won't leave your side! We'll fight this together!"

His smile once again lit up the room, "I wouldn't have it any other way."

Toshinori smirked towards the two, "Alright then - this is probably self-explanatory but Midoriya my boy, you should try to avoid being seen with Uraraka around any known League members, or any of your classmates for that matter. During Hero's work it's ok, but if you are ever outside of the school, being seen together by them might be dangerous."

The two teens nodded in understanding, it wasn't much of a change anyway. But Uraraka felt like things had changed altogether, now she was apart of Deku's life. She was with him on his journey and together they would both accomplish their own goals. She had a journey she couldn't forget - but she thought that helping out the "chosen one" along the way was something she didn't mind.

She was just glad that she could finally help Deku more - finally she could try and repay his kindness.


	7. Friendship and Embarrassment

**Hints of NSFW stuff in this chapter - don't worry no Smut/Lemons - although I will be incorporating that WAY down the line in this story. Its marked mature for a reason so just remember that. **

_***Reminder - Anything that isn't mentioned or touched upon in this story that has happened in canon, still happened in the story. Essentially this story just adds onto canon, so everything that happens in the anime/manga will still happen unless the story does something different. For example, I might skip a lot of the early Season 4 stuff - but that stuff will still happen. **_

**Thx for the support as always!**

* * *

Uraraka sat on her plain looking, yet incredibly soft comforter. She had just come back from Deku's room, and the night had been, well - involved.

First off she just learned about Deku's fight with stain. Iida's fight with stain. Todoroki's fight with stain. That was a heavy truth to learn - and she just hoped she responded to it correctly. If anything else she learned that Izuku _did_ trust her. Not like she didn't know this before.

Secondly... she was just told possibly the greatest secret in the entire world, and she didn't know how to feel.

On the one hand, she felt incredibly worthy. Deku had thought so highly of her that he had told her this secret. He _did _trust her, and there was no wonder why he didn't tell her before. If the villains had wanted, they could track her down and slaughter her entire family. His family. Their friends.

On the other hand, Uraraka felt unimportant, small. Did she really deserve to have a role in Deku's destiny? Was she the one, out of everyone he knew, that he thought was the best to tell this to? Was she even capable of being apart of his journey?

Slapping her cheeks, Uraraka rolled over onto her back. Of course, she was, he chose _her _to know this secret. And it wasn't only his journey, she had one as well.

And all of this just strengthened her previous resolve.

Uraraka was, with no doubt in her mind, head over heels in love with Izuku. She knew it, and a large part of her didn't care at all. She loved him with all of her heart, and tonight only confirmed that for her.

But tonight...also confirmed something else for her.

There was no time for her to be distracting him with a relationship. All Might told her, that it was his job to become the number one hero. That it was his job to be the new pillar of society, the symbol of peace.

Uraraka would not be the one to keep him from his destiny.

But there was something else as well. Uraraka had her own goal, her own 'destiny' if it could be called that. She wanted to become a successful hero too! And she wouldn't let her feelings be a distraction for herself either, she promised herself that she would give her parents a better life. That's what she would do.

That wouldn't make suppressing her feelings any easier though. But she would have to push through the pain, no matter what it took. She would still be his best friend, she would spend as much time as possible with him. They could train together, study together, hang out together, whatever they _could _do. She would be there with him, be right next to him.

Uraraka promised herself something that night, she would help Deku become the hero he needed to be. But she would be right there with him, keeping up with him, becoming the hero _she _needed to be as well.

Sometime between 12:00 and 12:30, the girl heard a knock at her door. It was quiet, almost not there. But she heard it.

A little annoyed, Uraraka kicked her feet over the side of her bed and trudged her way to the door. Clad in her pink and white Pajamas, she grabbed the door handle and creaked the door open. Who could be at her door in the middle of the night?

Her eyes peaked out from the doorway, and in her view was one of her classmates. Wearing baggy black sweatpants, and a dark grey tank top - Bakugou stood there completely silent.

For a second, Uraraka wasn't processing the current events. _Bakugou_ had knocked on her door in the middle of the night? What would _he _want with _her?_

Almost becoming angry at the blonde headed boy, Uraraka opened the door the rest of the way. Bakugou was standing there with his arms crossed, a contemplative look on his face. The girl had to remember what Deku told her earlier after her talk with All Might and him, just so she didn't snap at him.

_"Uraraka, I know you overheard what Bakugou did to me. Don't get mad at him, I've forgiven him. And I understand it might be hard to understand, but...he means a lot to me. I can't explain it, but just know he's trying." _

Uraraka clenched her fist at her side, "What do you want Bakugou?"

The boy visibly shifted, still holding the same face as before. A small sigh left his mouth, and his arms unfolded, "Listen..."

He paused for a second, seemingly to gather his thoughts, but Uraraka was rather impatient, "spit it out Bakugou."

"He needs you."

Uraraka's face was nothing short of surprised.

Bakugou folded his arms once more, "Deku...he's not...right."

The girl had now officially transferred from incredibly pissed to incredibly worried, "what's wrong with Deku?!"

Bakugou seemed to hold back a growl, "It's not like that. He's not in danger, at least not physically."

Uraraka was starting to get more and more impatient, "Then what do you mean then? Just tell me—"

"I'm _trying_!" Bakugou whisper-shouted suddenly, shocking the young girl. He hated this so much, "I know you know about his panic attacks. But...he didn't just have the two you know about. He's had at least three more since then."

Uraraka's eyes widened, "w-what!?" Deku had _three _more panic attacks since last Saturday? Why didn't he say anything earlier?

"It had something to do with you, with you ignoring him for a few days," Uraraka's head sulked slightly, "but it was mainly because of One for All."

The girl had a visible look of confusion on her face, "One for All? What does that have to do with panic attacks?"

Bakugou leaned against the wall across from her door, "It's not something direct. He told me it was the stress from being the new sole holder of it, with All Might retiring and everything."

Realization clouded Uraraka's mind, it made a _lot _more sense now.

"He thinks he won't be able to live up to All Might's name, and that he won't be able to become the Symbol of Peace he needs to be."

That just made her feel like shit. How was she supposed to help him if she couldn't even figure out what was bothering him? It was so simple, "Oh...he didn't tell me..."

Bakugou sighed a little, "He wouldn't have," the boy looked down slightly, "he cares about you too much to bother you with his problems."

Uraraka was suddenly speeches. This entire time...he was the one looking out for her?

"That's why he needs you," Bakugou took a few steps towards Uraraka, "Listen. Your the closest friend he has here, be there for him."

"Of course I will be," Uraraka answered instantly.

Bakugou looked her directly in the eyes, "ya no shit. But I mean like, take him out. Do shit with him, keep him busy so he stays out of his mind. He's dangerous to himself when he's in his thoughts."

Uraraka nodded firmly, "I will. I promise," her mind lingered over something Bakugou had just said, "w-wait...t-take him out?" Her entire face resembled a tomato.

The boy scoffed and turned around, "you don't have to date him, even though it's fucking obvious you like him," Uraraka nearly fainted on the spot, "just...be there for him. I know you care about him, so just be that person he can come to. Be that person he can always talk to. I know he cares about you a shit ton, so I'm asking you."

Uraraka stared at the back of Bakugou's neck. Like it or not, she had to admit Bakugou was a good friend. He was making sure Deku was okay.

She would do all of those things. She already was going to, but now she knew it was important, "I promise, I'll be that person for him. I'll be at his side."

Unbeknownst to Uraraka, Bakugou smirked to himself, "Good."

With that, the boy walked off down the hallway, leaving the girl in the middle of her doorway. Well...she now knew what it was like to hear Bakugou's calm side. It was different, a little unnerving, but a welcome change.

Throwing herself back into her bed, Uraraka entered her thoughts ~ she knew what she had to do now. Well, she did before - but now it was crystal clear. She would be there for him, she would help her best friend. And she didn't mind at all. Uraraka knew him, and especially now, almost better than anyone. So she would do what Bakugou asked, she would keep him occupied. Make sure he isn't alone.

Not like that would be a difficult task, she really enjoyed spending time with the boy. Uraraka considered him her best friend, besides Tsuyu of course, but with Deku it was different. She could open to Tsu all she wanted, but...she felt comfortable around Deku. Like it was natural. And spending more time with him would only strengthen that bond.

Uraraka's last thoughts were that of gratitude. Towards Bakugou, for letting her know what had been going on and asking for her help. But especially towards herself, since she already learned to push down her feelings before. It was complicated, but part of her was not fully ok with that. A small part of herself yearned for those feelings.

But Uraraka yearned sleep harder, and so the brown-headed teen drifted off.

* * *

Izuku, Uraraka, Kirishima, Tsuyu, Mina, and Iida all sat in the common room of Height's Alliance. It had been a few days since Uraraka was told of One for All, and even though she felt closer to Izuku and All Might (_even Bakugou_) nothing had really changed with the rest of her classmates. They were all currently discussing what they would be doing for their hero work studies.

"So Uraraka! Mirio told me Nejire was helping you and Tsu get an internship with Ryuko the Dragon Hero! That so cool!"

Uraraka blushed lightly, "Heh, ya I guess it's pretty amazing. I'm just really grateful for the opportunity."

"Me too, kero. Midoriya, out of everyone I thought you would be the most excited. I mean, you get to work with Mirio _and _All Might's old sidekick!"

Izuku frantically scratched the back of his head, "I-I am! Or at least I was when Mirio first invited me..." the boy cringed and looked towards the floor, "apparently he's extremely strict. I'm not sure if he'll like me or not."

Uraraka noticed this immediately and placed a hand on his back, "C'mon Deku, it'll be fine. It's kinda hard to not like you."

Izuku's face threatened to blush, instead, he simply smiled back to the girl. He wasn't too worried about it if he was All Might's old sidekick, Izuku was sure he would be ok. Worst case scenario he just has to deal with it; if he wanted to become a Hero not everything was going to go his way.

"You will be fine Midoriya, you all will be," Todoroki stated leaning back and folding his arms, "Bakugo, and I won't be able to join any of you. So you're already going to be far ahead of us in terms of experience." Todoroki was still a bit upset at himself for failing the provisional license exams. He didn't even bother telling his father, although he had a feeling he already knew, Todoroki didn't feel like putting up with an attitude while he took his extra classes.

"Todoroki don't get like that!" Mina ordered lightly smacking his right shoulder, "you're not going to fall behind! Plus, not everyone is doing these internships you know..."

"Ashido is right Todoroki, even though you and Bakugou will be unable to join the rest of the class in the hero work studies, a lot of us simply do not have the contacts necessary to be working with such famous hero's," Iida assured fixing his glasses, "of course some of us will be partaking in this custom, but it's not like you won't have the rest of your U.A career to get these experiences yourself."

The rest of the kids sitting on the yellow couch nodded, wordlessly agreeing with their class rep.

Todoroki sighed and then brought a smile to his face, "I know guys, thank you. I'm just going to have to work harder to get my license and catch up to the rest of you."

Izuku stood up and brought his hand into a fist in front of his chest, "that's the spirit Todoroki! Speaking of catching up, I still have to catch up from the days I was on house arrest." The boy stretched his arms out in a lax manner, "I'm gonna go train a little outside. I'll see you guys later."

Before the boy could walk away, Uraraka stood up next to him, "mind if I join you? I'm in the mood for some training myself."

"Not at all, let's go!"

Todoroki watched as the two walked out of Heights Alliance, and around to the open field surrounding the building. A small look of confusion mixed with curiosity appeared on his face, "Iida, is it just me or has Uraraka and Midoriya gotten closer lately? They seem to be doing almost everything together."

Iida nodded stiffly, "you are correct Todoroki. Over the past few weeks, they have been spending a significant amount of time together." Iida smiled slightly before turning to face the half and half boy, "it makes me happy seeing them together. Especially after what happened earlier this week."

Todoroki nodded, "Agreed, I don't know what went down but it's the first time I ever saw Uraraka look genuinely mad. It seems they've reconciled though, and they're closer than ever."

Mina giggles to herself beside the two boys, "I bet they're dating!" A light blush covered both boy's faces almost immediately.

Stammering slightly, Iida coughed, "we should not be talking of Midoriya and Uraraka's personal affairs. It is frankly none of our business."

A fourth voice suddenly giggled next to Mina, which nearly gave the three classmates heart attacks. "This is all too priceless!"

"H-Hakagure!?" Ashido nearly screamed, "GIRL! Do _not _do that again! You nearly killed me! How long were you there?"

A heavy cackle escaped the invisible girl's lips, "I've been here since before you all sat down. It's fun to just listen without having to talk at all!"

"You know, that's creepy Hagakure." Todoroki pointed out with a light chuckle following.

"Eh, I like to think of it as stealth training, hehe."

* * *

"So Deku! What do you want to work on?"

Izuku brought a hand up to his chin, "hmmm. I wanted to see if I can get my kicks to have a more narrow buildup. Kacchan said that it was my weakness when we fought, and I think he's right."

"That sounds doable, I've actually noticed that a little too." Uraraka pointed out while doing some light stretches, "I think I know your problem."

Izuku smiled at the girl. She was really beautiful, and all she was doing was stretching out her legs, "Really? And what's that?"

Uraraka pulled an elastic from her pocket and tied her hair into a ponytail, "You copy Iida too much."

Izuku almost didn't respond, he was too busy staring at the girl's hair. He had never seen it tied up like that, and he liked it, "I-I copy Iida? How so?"

Uraraka giggled ever so lightly, "I mean when you asked Iida to help you with your shoot style. You just adopted a lot of his fighting style into it." Izuku's face shifted to one of realization, "The problem is Iida has wider kicks because he accelerates them mid-kick, so it's harder for the enemy to react. But with your kicks, it's always going the same speed."

Izuku finally got it, "So the enemy is going to have an easier time predicting and reacting to my kicks since it's always the same speed!"

Uraraka smiled in delight, "Exactly!"

"Wow Uraraka! That was amazing! I should've thought of that! It seems so obvious now..." Izuku trailed on starting to mutter about the diameter of his kicks and whatnot. Uraraka simply smiled on, it was amusing to see him in his element.

Out of nowhere the boy stopped muttering and became flustered, "S-Sorry...I was doing it again, wasn't I?"

Uraraka laughed, "it's ok Deku! It just means you are really passionate about improving!"

Izuku took the compliment, although he still felt a little embarrassed when he would do stuff like that, "Speaking of improving, we've only been talking about me. What do you want to work on?"

Uraraka started to crack her knuckles, "Well, I've been getting a lot better at keeping down my nausea when I'm weightless. So I wanna practice maneuvering in the air."

Izuku's eyes widened, "Uraraka! You realize that if you can learn to make yourself weightless without any side effects, you would basically be able to fly around everywhere!"

Uraraka's eyes copied the boy's, "I guess I never thought of it like that before, maybe I can put in for a suit change. Some repulsors to move around in the air, oh that would be so cool!"

The girl was beaming, and so was the boy. They were both geeking out over there quirks before they realized what they had come out to do. So naturally, they both started to train.

Izuku was on his phone, looking up martial art forms that would be better for kicking. He found taekwondo was a pretty popular one, so he continuously practiced the form at speeds that his classmates would probably have a hard time keeping up with. 8% of One for All was no joke, it was such a small change, but it definitely upped his capabilities.

Uraraka was floating in the air, barely feeling the Nausea. She found that using the momentum of flipping and kicking off things could propel her in different directions. So, the girl would float in the air, spin towards the ground, jump of the ground, and repeat. It was nauseating, but it was a good drill.

After an hour of this, both teens began to feel a little fatigue. Uraraka more than Izuku. She felt like she could throw up any second. Her body felt weak and dizzy from the continuous spinning, she most definitely had to take a break.

'_Just one more wouldn't hurt, right?'_

Wrong.

Uraraka jumped off the ground and flew into the air. Just as she was about to start her spin towards the ground, her entire body felt dizzy and loopy. The girl almost passed out midair. It took a few seconds, but Uraraka finally regained her senses. She pushed herself too hard, which in hindsight was her fault to begin with, but she now found herself in a predicament.

She was roughly 150 feet off the ground, with no way of getting down.

She could spin like she had been doing for the past half hour, but she would most certainly pass out. She almost just passed out from jumping up so fast, so she could not chance to spin again.

She could deactivate her quirk, which would release some Nausea sitting at the back of her throat. But she didn't have her hero costume on, so she would probably break her legs from a fall of this height.

A minute passed and her situation only worsened. She was slowly but surely gaining height as time passed. Izuku seemed to notice the absence of his friend, turning around in every-which-way to try and find her.

"Uraraka? Where'd you go?"

"Deku! I'm up here!" Uraraka screamed with all of her Might. She was high up, so it would be difficult to hear her.

Izuku, however, heard her voice immediately, he looked up and spotted his best friend floating high in the sky, "Uraraka!? Are you okay!? You're really high up!"

From the lack of response, the boy seemed to realize the seriousness of the situation. He wouldn't be able to jump that high with his current level of one for All, but he could meet her about half of the way.

"_Uraraka!_" Izuku screamed at the top of his lungs, "R_elease your quirk! I'll catch you, I promise!" _

The girl heard his calls, but she was too Nauseous to respond. She had little choices here, so she would have to trust him. Pressing her fingers together, the girl squeaked out a 'release' and started promptly falling towards the ground.

Like a pro, the boy jumped up and caught Uraraka by the base of her hips. As they fell, he brought the girl closer to his body and prepared to land roughly.

Landing roughly they did.

So roughly, in fact, Uraraka had somehow ended up on-top of Deku. But not just, _on-top_, of the boy. No... sitting directly on top of his face.

One could not _describe_ such embarrassment.

It took roughly two seconds before Uraraka zoomed off of the boy, and another two seconds before the Nausea finally caught up to her.

As the girl puked in a nearby bush, Izuku laid there. He had just had his face, pretty firmly pressed in between Uraraka's thighs...

He was immobile. He was Illiterate. Quite possibly the _pinkest_ his face had ever been in his entire life.

'_Oh my god...oh my god...oh my GOD!' _

A small line of blood trickled from Izuku's nose. The boy's nose actually _bled. _He thought that was only in cartoons and anime! Was his nose _actually_ bleeding right now?!

After a few more seconds of throwing up, what had just occurred finally hit the girl. She just, quite literally, sat on Izuku's face. Holy crap. Her face was a little less red than Izuku's, but her entire body trembled to make up for the lack of color.

Izuku slowly got up from the ground, and before she could even react he was on the ground in front of her, begging for her forgiveness.

"Uraraka I'm so so sorry! I was acting carelessly and I didn't watch how I landed! I'm so sorry! I'm such an idiot please forgive me I didn't mean to I swear!"

Watching the boy plead for her forgiveness on the ground, brought the girl away from her embarrassment. And soon, as his apologies went on, she began to laugh.

"Just kill me now I'm so sor—-"

"Hahahahaha!" Tears of laughter filled the girl's eyes as she cut the boy off from his apologies. Izuku paused in utter shock, how could she be _laughing_!

"D-Deku," Uraraka squeaked out mid laughter, "why would you apologize?"

The boy was scared. This was unusual, right? Usually, if something like this happened it would be with Mineta and he saw how those situations went down. But Uraraka just stood there cracking up gleefully, a small stain of throw-up still on her lip "I-Um...I..."

Coming down from her laughter, the girl got down on her knees next to Izuku and wiped her mouth. Her face was a little flushed, and her hair had fallen out of its tie and fell messily in front of her face. Using one hand to tuck a few strands behind her ear, Uraraka smiled at Izuku, "Deku, it was just an accident. Calm down ok? It may have been a bit...um...awkward," the girl's face grew a little redder, "but it's not your fault at _all. _I'm the one who was up too high in the first place."

The boy finally came to his senses, he did probably overreact a little, "Still! I should have been paying more attention to you, then you wouldn't have floated so high."

Uraraka gave the boy a look that screamed, "really?" It was sarcastic, it was _cute, _god he had to stop thinking like that.

Izuku chuckled lightly, "ya ok. Wanna just forget it and move on?"

Uraraka giggled in return, "ya, I think that'd be good."

_Neither would be forgetting_

"Alright then," Izuku exclaimed standing up and reaching a hand out to his friend, "If it's alright with you, I'm gonna keep on training."

The girl took his hand gratefully, "Not a problem, but I might just watch you from now on ok? Forgot how much trouble my quirk gives me if I push it like that."

Izuku had no trouble with that whatsoever. So, the boy continued to train, and Uraraka was happy to give him pointers here and there. Soon, night fell and the two said their goodbyes; retiring to their respective dorms. Their Hero Work studies would start soon, and they needed to get as much rest as they could.


	8. Movie Night

**Hey Everyone! **

**So this will be fun, full of fluff - I love this chapter and it is probably been my favorite chapter to write this entire fic so far lol (mostly cuz it's not that dark or anything lmao) Enjoy!**

**p.s. - I do not know Japanese media so I'm gonna pretend like American media is everywhere and ya.**

* * *

"I swear to fucking god shitty hair! I'm not watching Rush Hour 3 again!"

"I personally think we should watch this new Documentary on Heroine life in America."

"Nah all those movies are boring! We should watch that Baywatch movie!"

"What about the new Leonardo DiCaprio movie?"

Class 1-A sat around the large flat-screen TV in the Heights Alliance Dormitory. Yaoyoruzu brought down her big bean bag love seats, and the entire class had prepared popcorn and snacks for the night. The light had already faded from the large windows, and the only thing that filled the dark-room was a TV screen and the teenager's voices.

Izuku chuckled at the bantering, "Guys if we don't decide soon Mr. Aizawa will wake up and make us go to our rooms."

"Midoriya's right, Kirishima you chose last time so someone else gets to pick!" Mina chimed in, annoyed that her nachos were getting cold.

"Jeez Mina, I thought you'd be on my side..."

Kaminari swiped the remote from Bakugou, almost losing his hand in the process, "Listen! Last time we decided that I was up next to choose! So _I'm_ choosing!" A few groans and grumbles escaped the classes lips, "Oh shut up! Don't worry I'm gonna pick a classic! Let's see...hmm how about The Fault in Our Stars?"

The class seemed happy with that choice, and many were confused at the boy's choice. "Wow Kaminari, really did not expect that decision from you." Jirou pointed out, followed by a sea of agreement.

Hagakure's shirt wiggled back and forth, "Can we start the movie already? C'mon!"

With that, Netflix was turned on and the movie began. Jirou and Kaminari sat next to each other on one of the couches. Mina, Bakugou, and Kirishima lounged on a love seat closer to the screen. Todoroki, Yaoyoruzu, Hagakure, and Ojiro shared a couch. And of course, Izuku, Ochako, and Iida sat on the third couch. The rest of the class was on the floor with blankets and pillows.

A quarter of the way into the movie, Iida and Shoji retired to the dorms, claiming they were "rather tired from training earlier." Nobody believed it, everyone knew those two weren't big movie watchers.

Halfway into the movie, Todoroki and Yaoyoruzu walked into the kitchen and never came back to the couches. No one really noticed, however, as most of the girls in the class were silently sobbing. Kaminari really picked a tear-jerker.

Even Izuku had to admit he was tearing up a bit, it wasn't his fault this movie was so heartbreaking! Even Uraraka was crying, he could feel her shoulders shaking lightly against his. Her hair was brushing against his neck, and his body felt warm. Wait...

A small glance to his left confirmed his suspicions. Once Iida had left the couch, Uraraka and himself had taken the free space up. Their legs moved to lay on the soft cushions, and Izuku had failed to notice how she had leaned against his body.

A blush appeared on his face, nothing major, it wasn't like this was crazy inappropriate or anything. They were just watching a movie with the class, the couch was comfortable and they were the only ones on it. It's only natural she would lean against him...right?

Izuku felt like a pillow. As he watched the tragedy take place on the flat-screen, he couldn't help but take note of how they had shifted positions. Without even realizing, Uraraka was almost completely laying on his chest.

His blush deepened, this was getting to be a little much. Not that he minded it! Just, with everyone else here, he knew something would make her realize their position, and then they both would get set off. Izuku wasn't dumb, he knew how embarrassed Uraraka gets at things like this, he wasn't any better himself. It would just be an awkward situation for both of them.

But...the way her arms rested on his stomach. Her messy hair flattened and stuck upon his chest. He didn't care. He liked this, he liked this a lot. It almost felt natural, it was so nice.

As his thoughts strayed from the movie to his best friend, Izuku found his eyes growing heavier. Before he knew it, sleep had overtaken him.

* * *

Izuku opened his eyes to complete darkness. He was confused, where was he? Why couldn't he see anything? Why did he feel so warm right now?

The last thing he remembered was watching the movie with his class. He _was_ in the living room of the dorms, sitting on the couch. He was thinking about Uraraka, and how she felt laying against him.

His thoughts were interrupted when out of nowhere he felt something stir against his body. He almost screamed out when two arms tightened around his chest and a soft face snuggled into his neck. _Holy shit_.

Welp, he was going to die. He was going to, literally, die. It was an easy conclusion. He and Ochako fell asleep on the couch, and somehow they ended up in _this _position. Face to face, holding each other, her head snuggled into the crook of his neck. Now, he could think of this in two different lights. One, this felt incredibly comfortable. He felt warm and safe and...well happy.

Or he could think about what would happen if she were to wake up. Or if Mr. Aizawa were to walk into the dorms, or if the class saw them.

Wait...the class. Did they just LEAVE THEM LIKE THIS!?

Oh he would be having a _word_ with one Katsuki Bakugou when this whole thing is over. _How could they just, not wake them up?_ He already was caught out of the dorms past hours with Kacchan before, if he was caught down here, doing whatever _this_ was with Uraraka?! How would he explain this? How _could _he explain this? He couldn't rat out the rest of the class on staying up past curfew to watch movies. Oh god, he would have to take the blame. But then Uraraka would get blamed too!

Taking a deep breath, Izuku remembered the breathing exercises that All Might told him about. It was supposed to help with his stress, and it did for the most part. But taking these breaths made him aware of something else. His face was nuzzled into Uraraka's fluffy brown hair. It smelled like lavender, maybe it was her shampoo? He didn't care, it was a nice smell. Her hair was so soft, it felt better than his actual pillow.

Izuku almost fell asleep once more...almost. If it wasn't for one of the kitchen lights turning on - _Oh Crap. _

His tranquility completely disturbed, he immediately freaked out. What if it was Aizawa?! What would he say? His fears were put to rest when a light, deep chuckle filled the silence of the large room. Izuku immediately recognized the voice and had to fight his urge to chuckle alongside his explosive friend.

"K-Kacchan?" Izuku squeaked out in the faintest of whispers. He was both internally and externally horrified of waking up his brown-haired friend.

Light footsteps grew closer to the two, and before he could blink Bakugou was standing in front of the couch. With a glass of water in hand, the boy smirked, "Fucking dorks."

Izuku immediately grew a look of expectancy on his face, he mouthed the words '_help me' _to his friend. Hopeful he would answer his plea. Unfortunately for Izuku, Bakugou would do no such thing. All he got in response was a silent cackle, which he responded to with an incredibly annoyed eyebrow furrow. Before walking away however, the blonde leaned down next to the boy, and simply whispered, "Careful, don't get _too _excited there."

_Well shit. _

As he walked away laughing silently, yet hysterically, Izuku now faced a completely new problem. His anatomy.

Ochako was pressed very tightly against him, she was basically clinging onto him. And who knew what time it was if it was morning he might have next to no control of himself. Not like he would have much control at any other point of the day in this position.

Breathing once more, Izuku calmed himself. It would be ok, he just had to stop thinking about it. Just put his mind somewhere else, don't even think about the curve of her body, or how her legs were entangled with his, or how she was on the verge of drooling on his neck.

Ok, he _might_ have to wake her up here.

He saw no other option that could lead to a _less _awkward encounter. If she woke up with him...standing at attention...he would never be able to speak to her again. It would be physically impossible for the boy. Especially after what happened the other day during their training. She would probably think he was such a pervert!

Absentmindedly smelling her hair once more, Izuku sighed lightly. He definitely had to wake her. But he was so comfortable, his bed wasn't even this comfortable. Maybe he could wait another hour, it wouldn't hurt...right?

* * *

"Deku...I'm so sorry I fell asleep on you. You must have been up all night, you should have woken me sooner." Ochako's voice sounded low and raspy, it was incredibly cute.

Izuku lightly waved his hand in front of his face, "N-No! I'm pretty sure I'm the one who fell asleep first, during the movie I think," He shifted uncomfortably on the couch for... reasons, "to be honest it was really comfortable."

Ochako smiled lightly, "Yah, that was like the best sleep I've had in a long time."

Both teens blushed lightly and smiled sheepishly at one another. Izuku had waited a while to wake the girl, as he did end up succumbing to sleep once more. Unfortunately, his biology did not do him any favors, but thankfully he awoke before she noticed. It was probably around five in the morning, the sun still hadn't risen, and both Ochako and Izuku sat on the couch chatting away. The atmosphere had been a lot less awkward than Izuku imagined it, which he was grateful for. He guessed it was how comfortable the two had become with one another, and he was glad he could talk to her so easily after the situation he found himself in.

The two talked until the sun started to rise, and then they went upstairs to their rooms to get ready for the day. Deku had almost yelled at Bakugou for the stunt he pulled the night before, but in the end, he wasn't as mad. Izuku didn't mind getting a chance to cuddle with Ochako.


	9. TD and Close Calls

**I AM SO SORRY FOR THE WAIT. I've been giving the anime some time to catch up. Cuz 1 - I need to follow the anime's storyline and add onto that which is the purpose of this story for me. and 2 - I don't wanna burn out from this fic, and I've been working on some other fics as well.**

**This one is more Fluff...sort of! This one takes place right after Season 4 episode 1 ends, enjoy!**

**Also as a side note - I'm ahead in the manga so I know a lot of stuff that will happen. This fic (and particularly this chapter) is going to hint at something that the anime has already hinted at and the manga touches on down the line. So don't worry - this chapter won't have any major spoilers but it will be my way of incorporating some future stuff earlier on. You do not have to worry about any spoilers, just hinting at future things in the anime/manga/this fic. Enjoy!**

* * *

"Mmmmh! Those meat buns were delicious Deku!"

Izuku rubbed the back of his neck and chuckled, "Like I said, don't thank me. All Might brought them!"

Yaoyoruzu dabbed her mouth with a napkin, "I'll be honest, I'm rather glad the reporter left, it felt strange having him here."

Jirou nodded her head, "Agreed, plus now we can do something me and Kaminari were planning!"

"What's that Jirou?" Ochako asked gleefully, throwing away her meat bun rapper.

Kaminari jumped in front of Jirou, "we should all play Truth or Dare!"

* * *

Class 1-A sat around the coffee table in the living room of Heights Alliance. Bakugou was rather pissed, as Kirishima had dragged him into this activity without his agreement. Playing truth or dare was such a little kid game, why the fuck did he have to do this?

The rest of the class seemed slightly more optimistic about the game. Ochako was extra excited, as apparently she never got to play this game as a child. Todoroki seemed un-amused, but Yaoyoruzu convinced him it would be rather fun.

Izuku, well he didn't know how to feel. Similar to his friend, he never had the opportunity to play a game like this when he was younger. Mainly because he didn't have anyone to do this sort of thing with. But now was different, he had friends, and he was sure this would be a fun experience!

Well...he _was_ sure. That is until the first few questions were asked.

"Who was your first kiss?"

"Do you like anybody in the class?"

"Who do you think the hottest pro hero is?"

So it was going to be one of _those _games.

Izuku was freaking out. No one even picked Dare yet! What would the dares be like?! He already felt incredibly warm for some reason, was he already this embarrassed just thinking about it?

Hagakure bounced up and down in her seat, "Ok! Let's see here...how about Todoroki? Truth or Dare?"

"Truth."

"Your no fun!" Hagakure's shirt wiggled through the air, "let's see. I got it, who do you think is the prettiest girl in the class?"

Most of the boys in the class made some noises hyping up Todoroki's answer. The girls simply waited patiently, they were all excited to see if he would pick any of them! Even Izuku was a little curious, he knew he wouldn't dodge the question. But he really wondered who Todoroki would pick. His 'IcyHot' friend - as Kacchan would call him - was rather straightforward. He _personally _knew who Todoroki liked, but would he just outright say it?

Todoroki, without a single stutter or change in tone, simply spoke, "Yaoyoruzu."

The girl, who was sitting next to him mind you, visibly _melted_ in her seat. Her face was a dark red, and one could almost hear her squeaking out incoherent words.

Some of the girls squealed at the boy's answer, and all of the boys chuckled. Even Izuku couldn't help but laugh at the bluntness of his friend, it was rather funny. Even if it _was _an expected answer. He supposed those two would make a good couple, not that he thought like that regularly. Just...if he had to pick two classmates to get together...

After Todoroki failed to get Yaoyoruzu to stop curling up into a bawl, it was his turn to pick someone, "How about you Bakugou? Truth or Dare?"

The boy let out a grunt, and mumbled something about not being a pussy, then finally shouted, "Dare! Bring it on!"

"Hm," Todoroki thought of a good dare to give the explosive boy, "I dare you...to let one of us pick three random things from the fridge for you to eat."

"Bring it on icy hot, that's some weak shit right there!"

The class got up and moved to the kitchen, Todoroki pulled Deku and Kirishima to the fridge with him. Small cackles could be heard behind the large doors, and Bakugou started to get a little nervous.

Not that he would show it! But... he absolutely despised anchovies. And he knew for a fact that the store-brand Kakashi over there loved to use them when he cooked. But at least none of them knew about this disliking.

"Ok, Baku-bro! We got the three things right here!"

Bakugou cringed externally, "Oh fuck no!"

"What happened to, that's some 'weak shit' right there?" Todoroki called out uncharacteristically.

"You're giving me a fucking _anchovy_, with...what is that horseradish?!" Bakugou sniffed the monstrosity making him gag, "and a fucking pickle! What, you wanna kill me or some shit?"

Izuku laughed at his friend's misfortune, "c'mon Kacchan! It's the name of the game, you _did _say dare, right?" Bakugou sent the boy a death glare, and the entire class started to chant _Eat it! Eat it! Eat it!_

Bakugou all but exploded as he stomped his foot on the ground, _"_Alright! alright! I'll do it!"

It took Bakugou approximately five minutes to shove the creation in his mouth. It took him less than a second to swallow it. And it took him a millisecond to instantly throw up into the sink.

As the boy nearly projectile vomited into the sink, Izuku had stepped to the side chuckling along with Uraraka. Even though they didn't really show it out in the open, Izuku, Uraraka and Bakugou did have a close bond. They all knew about One for All, and they were close because of that. Seeing their friend in utter turmoil was certainly amusing, to say the least.

Uraraka leaned against the wall of the dorm, "Haha! Your the one who knew about his anchovies fear right?"

"Well..." Izuku shrugged with a small smirk following, "I guess you could say I found it _fishy _that he always left the room when Shoji pulled them out."

With a quick punch to the shoulder, Uraraka shook her head, "I expected more from you Izuku Midoriya."

The boy chuckled at his friend's use of his full name, "Wow! Harsh much?" He pretended to rub his arm out of pain, "you know that hurt a lot!"

"Hardy har har." She joked looking towards Izuku with a (_really?) _face, "You know you should be careful, one touch and you'll be so far up in the atmosphere you'll just float till you die."

The two preemptively started to walk back towards the couches, and Izuku let out a rather nasty cough as he sat down.

"Hey - you okay," Uraraka asked placing a hand on the boy's back, "that sounded bad."

Clearing his throat, Izuku looked over to the concerned girl, "I'm fine. Thank you though, just been feeling off a little today. I've been feeling pretty warm lately too, might just be me though."

"Maybe you should see Recovery girl later, you might be catching something."

"Ya—"

The two were suddenly broken from their conversation as the sound of an extremely angry Katsuki Bakugou filled the room, "I swear to god Half and Half! I'm gonna get you back for that shit."

Todoroki chuckled, "You are going to have to wait because you cannot call on me since I'm the one who asked you the question."

After mumbling some incoherent curses, Bakugou turned to Kirishima, "you were an accomplice, so you! Truth or Dare?"

"Not falling for that one! Truth!"

Bakugou smirked, "What's your _best-kept_ secret?"

Kirishima gulped, "w-what do you m-mean? Baku-bro?"

"You know damn well what I mean shitty hair."

Izuku and the rest of the class were rather confused, it was obvious there was some sort of secret that Bakugou knew about. _Just what was it?_

"Bakugou you don't have to do this, you know exactly what will come after, right?" Kirishima asked pleadingly, knowing damn well he had no dirt on his best friend whatsoever.

"Oh I know, now answer the damn question!"

"F-Fine..." Kirishima looked around as the class all stared at him, "I...I...I _DYE MY HAIR_ OK?!"

* * *

After Kirishima forced Bakugou to streak around the entire Dorm, a few more rounds passed. It was fun, but Izuku and Uraraka still hadn't been picked. They had been chatting, so neither of them really realized. That is until Izuku overheard whispering from Mina and Hagakure about Uraraka and himself. It was faint, but he swore he could hear something about heaven? He knew whoever would get the chance next, would most definitely choose him. He just hoped it wasn't Mina, as she had been making the most...risque...dares throughout the night. Not to mention what he overheard

"Ok, let's see...Mina! How about you choose!" Asui suggested to the bubbly pink girl.

_Oh crap_

Mina immediately looked towards Deku and Uraraka, which caused both of them to look towards each other, and then back towards Mina. She giggled as she pointed towards the green-haired boy, "Midori! Truth or Dare?"

Izuku immediately shrunk, "U-Um...I guess," he thought for a second on which would be less embarrassing, "I guess Dare."

"I dare you and Ochako to play 7 minutes in heaven! Right now!"

* * *

Well... now he and Ochako were locked in the smallest storage closet the class could find. Literal inches apart from each other and neither one of them could keep it together.

"I can't believe they just expect us to make out in here!"

"I know right? This is like, crazy!"

The two were laughing, and honestly having fun. They were comfortable enough around each other to make fun of this situation, and even though it was a bit awkward; both of them were relaxed. After going through everything together, this was a piece of cake.

Ochako looked into Izuku's eyes, "You know, we _could _have some fun of our own in here."

The boy's heart stopped and his eyes went completely wide, "f-f-f-fun?" Ok, maybe this _wasn't_ going to be a piece of cake. ABORT! ABORT MISSION!

Uraraka giggled, "Calm down silly, I meant let's make them _think _we're having 'fun' in here," the brunette made a maniacal face, "I saw it in a TV show once, come on Deku! It would be funny!"

He calmed down at this. Now that he thought about it, he still had to get them back for the little stunt they pulled the other day, just letting them sleep together on the couch like that. Even though he didn't _hate _the experience, it was still a risky joke. Maybe causing some drama and stirring the pot wouldn't be _too_ bad of an idea.

"...What did you have in mind?"

Uraraka smirked, "Well, why don't we ruffle our hair and mess up our clothes a little bit?" She then followed by running her hands through her long locks of brown hair, frizzing up the ends and messing up her usual framed style.

Blushing at the sight of a ruffed up Uraraka, the boy followed suit running his hands through his own hair. After about thirty seconds, nothing had changed.

Giggling at the sight of the boy's usual messy hair, Uraraka grabbed the boy's thin t-shirt collar, "Your hair is already a mess. So your gonna have to look the part in your attire...hmm this shirt isn't crazily expensive or meaningful to you right?"

Izuku thought for a moment, "No, it's just a random t-shirt."

"Good," Uraraka then pressed one of her hands (pinky slightly raised) on the top of Izuku's chest, and pulled tightly on the boy's collar.

His face became slightly red at the sudden skin to skin contact with his best friend. It became a darker shade after she had yanked his collar. The action had effectively launched him towards the girl, involuntarily making him pin her against the wall. The world seemed to stop. Both teens noses were centimeters apart, and their faces emitted a deep red hue. Green eyes stared into brown, and not a single word could be uttered. The hot breath emitting from their mouths was nearly visible, and the mood of the small closet had suddenly changed drastically.

Izuku was the first to come to his senses, "S-Sorry about that." He made to back away from the girl but stopped as a small hand grabbed his waist.

"I-It's ok," Uraraka muttered as she slowly pulled the boy back. His body felt like jello, simply conforming to her touch, moving with her hand as he leaned towards her.

His face getting red hot, Izuku's breathing began to accelerate, "U-Uraraka..."

"Deku..."

The two were millimeters apart now, swaying absentmindedly as they stared into each other's eyes. Izuku's face felt hotter than Endeavors flames, and he swore his vision was going blurry at the sight of her beauty. She was...stunning. Even in the dark, he could see it, the way her hair stuck up in all directions, completely out of control. The way she bit her bottom lip, surely from nervousness he guessed. He could recognize the feeling by now. He felt himself breathing heavy, what was this? Desire? He didn't know, but for some reason, he felt a need to be closer to her.

His hand reached up to the girl's shoulder, but it suddenly missed and landed flat against the wall.

Uraraka's eyes widened as the boy all but collapsed into her body. She watched as his eyes shut and he fell completely limp in her arms, "_Deku_! What's wrong?! _Deku_!"

* * *

Alright, what the actual hell was wrong with her?! Why the hell did she just drop all of her rules and do that with Deku! She somehow crossed a line that she herself had set! And now Deku had passed out completely for...who KNOWS WHY?! Bakugou and Todoroki had carried him up to his dorm and left to get Recovery Girl. Of course, this left her to watch Deku in his room.

If he hadn't passed out, she was 99% sure that she would have kissed him. _Oh crap -_ what if that was why he passed out?! _No. _Stop thinking like that. Sure, she may have totally disregarded her personal limitations on her relationship with Deku, but who KNOWS why he passed out. Maybe he was sick or something? Maybe he...oh what was she thinking?! Of course, she was the reason he passed out!

As he lied on his bed, conscious completely lost, Uraraka continued to pace back and forth in his room. The shaggy All Might carpet felt weirdly soothing against her bare feet, but the sensation did little to soothe her mind. If it wasn't her doing - then what else could have just knocked him out like that?

As if on cue, the two boys along with Recovery Girl suddenly threw the door to his room open. Before she could even form a sentence, the medical hero rushed to Deku's bedside and immediately started to examine him. Within moments she was already utilizing her quirk and writing a diagnosis simultaneously.

Finally gathering her senses, Ochako spoke up, "R-Recovery Girl? Is Deku going to be alright? Do you know why he just - passed out like that?"

A few moments of silence signaled to the teens in the room that their school's "nurse" had been contemplating the question in her mind. Almost as if she didn't necessarily know herself, Recovery Girl turned around to the teens, "Well, to be truthful this situation is rather odd," she made a weird look around the room, particularly at Todoroki, and then started up again, "Um, well-"

Bakugou picked up on her weird behavior, and immediately realized the problem, "Hey! IcyHot - go get Deku some water or something, make it fucking quick!"

Todoroki seemed taken aback but realized this was something greater than just water. The boy silently agreed and rushed out of the room.

"Alright- Recovery girl! Does this have anything to do with one for all?"

Ochako's eyes widened beyond belief, "Bakugou!?"

"Chill the fuck out Round face, she's one of the teachers that know."

"Are...you sure?"

Bakugou gruffed out an annoyed breathe, "NO! I'm not fucking sure Uraraka! That's why I just asked her broad as day!"

The girl suddenly lost her nerve, "You know what Bakugou! FUC-"

"THAT'S ENOUGH!"

The two teens' bones vibrated from the sheer tenacity and power of Recovery Girls' voice. Their heads slowly turned from each other to the small nurse, who looked absolutely ticked off.

"To answer your question Bakugou, yes. It does -"

_*knock knock knock _

_"_Come to Toshinori!"

Ochako and Bakugou spun around to the door of their friend's room, only to be greeted by an empty doorway. Without even realizing what had happened, they turned around again to find All Might and Recovery girl standing next to Midoriya speaking silently.

"A-All Might?" Bakugou thought aloud. The boy knew this had something to do with One for All - but with how All Might had rushed into the room like that, he was sure this was serious.

The blonde-haired man put his hand to his forehead and took a deep sigh, "I should've known this was coming."

Ochako felt _completely_ out of the loop. What was happening? Everything seemed to be to taking place so fast, she just needed answers. "Can someone please explain to me why Deku collapsed?"

All Might turned around, "Young Bakugou if you wouldn't mind closing the door."

As the boy followed his orders, Toshinori sat down at the end of Deku's bed - and the rest of the room's inhabitants gathered around him.

"I know this looks bad. But don't worry - this isn't anything crazy dangerous. Midoriya will be just fine."

Uraraka released a breathe she hadn't known she was holding. Bakugou followed suit surprisingly, and both teens shared a knowing look of understanding

"But still, this is going to affect Deku, and because you two are people he chose to share this secret with. You two will be affected as well."

Both teens nodded, and All Might began his explanation, "One for All is a quirk that passes down from generation to generation stockpiling quirks. As you know. With these quirks, something else is stockpiled as well. Fragments. Memories - to be more precise."

Bakugou looked stunned, "Wait-wait! Are you telling me that the previous holder's memories are inside of Deku?"

"Yes. Not just memories - pieces of the person, almost like a part of their soul, is stockpiled as well. Which means technically - Midoriya could talk to each and every one of One for All's previous users..."

With those words, the dynamic of the room shifted. The reality of Izuku's condition had sunken into Bakugou and Uraraka like a pair of fangs on a bloodthirsty beast. This was all on another level of destiny - it was cosmic. Before Toshinori could even elaborate, Bakugou spoke up.

"W-Wait! You're trying to tell me that Deku passed out because he's speaking to fucking dead people?!" Bakugou put a hand to his head and began to pace, "This is _not _good for my fucking mind!"

"Calm down Bakugou," Uraraka shouted towards Bakugou, "but All Might is it true. Is this the reason?"

The U.A Teacher and former pro hero cast a glance down towards the ground, "I'm...not sure. It could be. My best guess is it has something to do with it, but I doubt he is actually contacting their souls right now. He'd be freaking out with his quirk if he was. It's either that, or it could be an unknown cause. For now, we need to just wait for him to wake up to fully know."

That answer had left Uraraka quite unsatisfied, "This is all insane! You've experienced this before, right? He's going to be ok right?!"

This time Recovery Girl chimed in, "the boy will be completely fine. He will wake - but most likely not remember most of anything that has happened within the last hour or so. We can take it from there, for now, one of you should just stay here with him, so when he wakes he won't freak out."

Before Bakugou could humbly decline, Uraraka had piped up and volunteered. This was not a surprise to any of the people in the room at the moment, and as soon as the three left - Uraraka immediately sat right next to Izuku on his bed. And after a small amount of time had passed, the girl succumbed to her rapidly draining energy - and fell asleep.

* * *

Izuku awoke to the small noise that came from Ochako's mouth. He looked down to find the girl sleeping half up-right, half laying down on his leg. It was so adorable - _stop_.

He _had_ to stop thinking like that - and an even better excuse for that is where the hell was he?

His bedroom - obviously. But why? The last thing he remembered...wait. His dreams were of a man. A rather large man, with goggles...and a black venomous-like whip.

As quickly as the memory came to him, it faded. Now he was left almost completely lost. If he recalled hard enough, he could remember being in the closet with Uraraka. They were...oh no.

Izuku shifted over to the other side of his bed and replaced his body with Uraraka's, doing a crappy job of tucking her in - the boy began to ponder exactly what the hell was wrong with him?!

How could he almost kiss Uraraka?! He knew his own limits, he knew that he promised himself to not proceed on any of his feelings! So why did he suddenly lose all control? The idiotic dare is at fault. If that would never have happened - he wouldn't be here and things wouldn't be complications between him and Uraraka.

Wait...why did he pass out?

It didn't make sense. Usually, he would be thinking this is from the pure embarrassment of the situation, but it wasn't that. He was _prepared _to kiss her. He..._wanted _to.

Questions for later. Right now he had to figure out how he could convince Uraraka he had forgotten about the almost kiss. He wanted nothing but to finish what they had started earlier, but Izuku knew this was not the time for this sort of thing.

He can't be enjoying romance when he is supposed to be training and becoming the number one hero!

Uraraka would understand if he can't convince her he had some sort of amnesia. She would have to - it would be better for both him and her if they didn't start something more than best friends. No matter how much he may want it.

Izuku looked down at the sleeping girl. Her hair fell calmly over her back, and her two large bangs were tucked behind her ear. This left her face wide open to the world, her..._beautiful_ face. He would never get tired of her light - barely visible freckles. Her eyes, chestnut brown. A slightly rosy shade of pink laid on her cheeks.

This was seriously going to be harder then he thought.

_knock knock*_

Head shooting to the doorway, Izuku garnered a look of wonder. Quickly getting up to open the door, he was met with an unusual look of worry on one Katsuki Bakugou's face.

"Kacchan? What's up?"

Bakugou took a small breath of relief, "Just checking to see if you're ok." The boy's face morphed back to his resting scowl and he simply walked into Izuku's room without any warning.

"K-Kacchan! Wait!" Izuku whisper-screamed to try and halt the seemingly unstoppable force that was Bakugou. Katsuki's face grew a small smirk as his eyes laid on round-face herself sleeping peacefully in Izuku's bed.

"Damn Deku, didn't think you had it in you."

These words simultaneously set Deku on fire and shrunk his voice to that of a mouse, "K-Kacchan! That's not what this is!"


	10. Overhaul's Demise - Trust Maintained

**Hello everyone. First I'd like to address a concern that is Deku and Ochako will just be at a forever back and forth never actually getting together. I do NOT plan on doing that, do not worry. This is a slow-burn Izuocha story, IzuOcha will happen and I have a lot of plans that will work towards that. Things will keep them apart, others will pull them together, I'm trying my hardest to make this fit within the anime story line so I don't wanna get too AU with the themes but do not worry - they will eventually get together - also this isn't just an IzuOcha story even though it really seems that way, I wanna add my own elements of story here and there so be on the lookout for that.**

**Oh, and one more thing! This chapter you'll see an Anime Checkpoint for the first time. I'm planning on doing this very rarely as a lot of my chapters happen outside of the anime's episode timeline, but this one takes place in the middle of it. It'll be in bold, and it will be very obvious. Now, I know this might sound like I just don't feel like re-writing an entire scene that was already shown in the anime. And that is true to some extent, I **_will _**re-write things that I feel could use some more depth and development in this story, but if I do not feel that way I'm just going to explain what happens in the anime just to save time and get more original content out. Fan-fiction is FAN fiction, no one wants to re-read an entire scene in the anime (Or at least most people do not) XD**

**So - enjoy! This chapter will wrap up the Overhaul arc so it is a bit long, I didn't want to spend much time on this arc considering the anime is finished with it and the Culture Festival is happening now - Which is a GOLDMINE for ff content lol, so enjoy! Expect more frequent chapters because I will be writing more frequently. **

* * *

Izuku, Uraraka, Asui, and Kirishima had returned from their Hero's Study meeting - where the four learned of the plan to rescue Eri and further their assault on the Shie Hassaiki organization. It was surprising to the brown-haired girl how quickly the heroes had pinpointed this girl's location and created a strategy to save her. What was even more surprising was Deku's reaction to the whole ordeal. He along with one of the big three, Togata Mirio, had been extremely adamant on rescuing Eri. It was almost like a cinematic drama in the meeting room earlier, watching those two demands they save her, promise they'd save her. The sheer tenacity and emotion radiating off of them were enough to shake Asui and herself to their core. She had never seen Deku that determined - and when that boy had his mind set on something, he never failed to get it done.

Now - the four had trotted back to Heights Alliance and were put on hold for a few days while preparations were made for the rescue. Uraraka tried to keep herself busy with work from her normal classes - but no matter what she tried, nothing could get her mind off of Deku and the Eri Mission.

They were given strict - _strict -_ orders not to discuss the meeting with each-other or their classmates. It was of utmost importance that details did not get spread.

She knew why - she was not an idiot. They were worried about a possible traitor. While it was something she pondered herself for a while, Uraraka had no clue if the theory had any real weight to it. There had to be away the villains found out about the USJ, the Summer Training Camp, and Deku's secret. But she just could not picture any of her classmates, her friends, being a real traitor. Even if that were the case, how would they hide it so well? All of her classmates lived together and were always spending time together, to say one of them even had enough time to sneak away and release information was a bit of a stretch.

Nevertheless - she obeyed her orders. The last thing she wanted was to accidentally give up extremely classified information to the wrong people. She had to admit though, it was killing her not being able to talk to Deku about all of this. It felt like they haven't really _talked _in a while, mainly because of their respective internships keeping them busy. The school had been a bit stressful from this as well, it might have been that. Or maybe it was something else.

The now infamous 'closet' incident happened a while ago now. Maybe around a week or two, thankfully Deku had forgotten all about it. At least that's what she was led to believe when she questioned him and he thought he passed out holding Meat Buns. That boy could be silly sometimes.

Unfortunately, this incident was not forgotten by the rest of their class. Mina has poked and prodded her privately after the affair - insisting she, "spilled the beans," on what had happened in that closet. Not like she would be so open to talking about things like that - but the thing that bothered her was nothing even happened! The entire class had this odd mindset that something had happened in the closet between her and Deku. Of course, they were worried about Deku and fully believed her when she explained what had happened. But a few of them definitely thought she had left some details out. Uraraka guessed it made sense for them to come to conclusions themselves. Their ruffled clothes and hair, her being all red-faced, she wasn't stupid.

In relation to not being stupid - she also was not blind. If she was, there would be no reason for her worrying. But of course, a certain boy once again had her stressing out about his health. She could see this Eri situation was weighing down heavily on Deku, all she wanted to do was talk to him about it. She wished she was allowed to, she really wanted to have _someone_ to talk to about this.

She felt it too! That poor little girl, she couldn't imagine the horrible things the, Chisaki, the guy was putting her through. It must be even worse for Deku, he's seen her up close. Apparently he had her in his arms - she couldn't imagine the guilt he was feeling.

After finishing up some school work and eating a quick dinner in her room - she decided to get some sleep as soon as possible. It had been a long day, the meeting - finding out this whole situation was a lot sicker and twisted than they originally had thought. She really needed a good night's sleep.

It was around 4 hours later when Ochako realized she had been on her phone scrolling through Twitter the entire time.

She couldn't sleep - thankfully it was a Friday night so she didn't have to worry about class tomorrow morning. But she also knew that any day now they could be getting called in for the mission. She had to be well-rested and prepared for it at any time.

Maybe a glass of water could help her, she was a bit parched and laying in bed wasn't going to do her any good at the moment. Deciding on a beverage, Uraraka walked from her dorm room to the kitchen of Heights alliance. As she moved through the desolate hallways, down a few flights of stairs, and across the open common room of their dorms; she could not help but notice an odd clanging noise.

It sounded as if it were coming from the floorboards beneath her feet - but that would be impossible. The only other solution to the strange noise would be the heights alliance weight room. But who on Earth would be up at 3 in the morning lifting weights? Shrugging it off as an oddity, the girl wrapped the small blanket she had brought around her shoulders and silently drank her water.

* * *

"You know - you really are a fucking moron for coming down here without a spotter Deku." An angry blonde boy reprimanded.

This anger-filled blonde was nonother than Katsuki Bakugou. He was accompanied by (of course) Kirishima - the lovable red-headed rock boy. These two had come down for some late night weight lifting - as per usual for the pair - and found one Izuku Midoriya benching nearly 300 lbs without any safety or precautionary features.

"Seriously Midoriya, you could have really hurt yourself there." Ejirou followed, walking on the other side of their green-headed friend, "300 lbs without anyone here? Do you have a death sentence or something? You didn't even have your quirk on man."

Izuku ducked out from under the thin bar - and sat at the edge of the black leather surface. This allowed the two to finally get a better look at his face - and it was not pretty. The bags under his eyes were his most prominent oddity, and his skin gave off a red hue, but somehow it was also pale? Bakugou had a hard time describing the sight to himself. The loose sleeveless shirt did not help his look at all, it just showed off the sweat dripping from his shoulders. Not to mention the slight shake that came with each breath.

"M-Midoriya? Are you alright man? You look like-"

"Shit. You look like shit Deku, what's wrong?"

A quick wipe over his eyes with a pair of sweaty hands seemed to bring the boy back to reality, "h-hey...s-sorry bout that, just couldn't sleep."

Bakugou almost immediately recognized the change in the boy, Kirishima soon followed - something was bothering him and if it was enough to make him lift that much without anyone around to help...this was serious.

Kirishima walked over to the boy and sat next to him, "Midoriya, something's bothering you right? You can talk to us, it's not very manly to hold in your feelings you know."

"Y-Yah, I know Kirishima. Thank you it's just - I _can't _talk about it."

Kirishima seemed to pick up on what the boy was talking about. It obviously had something to do with their internship. And based off of Mirio and his reaction to that Eri girl earlier, he was sure _it _had something to do with that.

The only problem is Bakugou was there so they wouldn't be able to talk about this. Even if Bakugou wasn't there they weren't technically allowed to speak about it.

Bakugou was getting a small bit irritated because it seemed like those two knew something he didn't. Of course, this shit probably had something to do with the internships he and Icy-hot couldn't go to. God this was frustrating!

"Deku, I know you can't sleep but why don't you take one of those sleeping pills, you still have some right?"

The boy nodded slowly, he really was tired.

Bakugou walked closer to the boy, "then why don't you go upstairs, take one, and sleep? You look like you haven't slept in a week and then some."

Kirishima silently agreed with a head nod, this caused Izuku to breathe a heavy sigh, "Alright, ill do that. Sorry again to cause you guys trouble."

"Hey, you're not causing any trouble man, we just want you to be alright ok? You can make it back to your room right?"

"Thank you Kirishima and ya, I'll be fine. Thx again."

With that, Izuku trudged up the stairs into the common room. He didn't really want to go to sleep, but he supposed he had to. Maybe a little fresh air would help him feel better? The boy stopped in the middle of the silent living room. The kitchen lights were on but it barely lit anything up - with a sigh he turned towards the door and walked out to the front of Heights Alliance.

He supposed this was a bit risky considering his track record with breaking curfew - but his brain was acting on autopilot here and the cool air of the night was helping. Honestly, he would choose anything over going back to his room right now.

It was too restricting, there was a reason he was lifting in the middle of the night. Being sleepless was one thing, but staying in that room gives him anxiety. Maybe it was just the fear of Chisaki. The fear for Eri. Or...the fear of tomorrow?

Tomorrow... could it happen tomorrow?

As he sat down on the bench, he could feel the heaviness of his eyelids weighing down on him. He could fight it for now, but he was definitely at risk of falling asleep out here. The cool breeze felt nice against his skin, however - and with his mind bouncing from Chisaki to Sleep, it was a welcome sensation.

He needed to save Eri...he wanted it to be as soon as possible - but as his eyelids closed and his mind drifted off, a question was on his mind. Was he prepared? Could he handle something like this? Was he ready?

* * *

Well...that was odd.

Uraraka had been peacefully sipping her water when she saw Kirishima and Bakugou walk down to the gym. They didn't seem to notice her presence in the kitchen, and neither did Deku (who walked up a few minutes after the fact). The boy then stopped in the middle of the living room and walked directly outside. Odd indeed.

Placing her now empty glass in the sink, Uraraka curiously followed the boy. He simply sat down on a bench not 15 feet away from the entrance. As she got closer - she started to notice the dark circles underneath his eyes, she also noticed that his eyes were closed...and his body was swaying ever so slightly... was he asleep?

Moving closer to the boy she came to the conclusion that he was, in fact, asleep. She struggled to not giggle as she sat down next to him. His hair blew in every which way with the soft wind as soft snores escaped his mouth matching its tone. She supposed she had to wake him up. If Mr. Aizawa were to find him, or even worse one of those robot security cameras - who knows what type of punishment he would get.

Perhaps taking too long to ogle at the boys ripped arms, Uraraka snapped out of her daze and realized they could not stay outside all night. She would have to wake him up and get him inside.

Ugh! But knowing him he's probably dead tired. Waking him would be the equivalent of slapping him in the face. She supposed carrying him in wouldn't be _too _big a hassle, her quirk was useful for many things. Would "slapping him in the face" really be that bad though? She was pretty tired herself, and carrying him in would take _so _much effort.

With a big sigh, Uraraka came to the conclusion that she would just bring him in herself; because that's what friends are for - right? That's what she told herself anyway as she floated the boy through the doors of Height's Alliance, and into the elevator stationed next to the stairs. She would have taken the stairs but her laziness got the better of her.

With a few seconds of free time, she began to ponder what Deku was doing in the weight room by himself this late at night. He had to be lifting weights obviously - she could hear him from the common room. But, if he was tired enough to fall asleep while sitting straight up - outside nonetheless - something had to be wrong.

As the door to the elevator opened, she lightly pushed the boy alongside her as she walked. If he was having trouble sleeping, then maybe it had something to do with what Bakugou was talking to her about. She remembered him advising her to keep him occupied, to be a, "distraction", as he put it. If anything she had been doing a lousy job of that as of late. Especially considering their internships have just started up, of course, Deku's stress would be elevated, hell HER stress was weighing down on her. Not to mention the whole catastrophe a little while ago. She and Deku almost kissed...

It was insane, but at least he had no idea of what happened. Thankfully she can keep a reign on her emotions once more.

Uraraka stopped in front of her room - wait.

_Her Room... _

She had Deku with her! She couldn't just bring him into her room in the middle of the night! What if the teachers found out? What if her classmates found out?

...

But then again it was Friday night. She could easily come up with a way to sneak him out tomorrow. They would have to sleep in the same bed - which she guessed wasn't all too uncommon nowadays for her and Deku, but still. What if she couldn't control herself? Her mind lingered back to how they slept together on the living room couch that one night, the pro's in this situation seemed to overtake the cons.

After 5 minutes of her pointless mind battle, Uraraka realized that she had been standing in the middle of the dormitory hallway with an asleep, floating boy at her side. She had no choice but to just suck it up and bring him into her room. Sure, it might be a bit of a limit breaker, and it is 100% a rule-breaker, but he was her best friend and she trusted him. She also didn't really feel like sneaking through the hallways with Deku at her side just to reach his room. Even then she didn't know his room's pin passcode, so getting in would be a lost cause. This really was her only viable option. Well...she _could_ wake him up, but that would defeat the whole purpose of floating him in the first place.

After bringing him inside and shutting the door behind her, Uraraka placed Deku on her bed. She yawned as her quirk was undone, sleep must have been finally catching up to her. Giving it one last troubled thought - Uraraka shook her head and climbed into the bed alongside Deku. The heat radiating off of his body was enough to fasten the pace of her slumber. She would have to ask him tomorrow as to why he was up so late lifting weights. For now, she would sleep.

* * *

knock knock knock*

Uraraka stirred at the light noise - not _really _comprehending what it was.

Knock Knock Knock*

Again she stirred, but she just couldn't move from her comfort. Her body felt like it was being massaged by the world's best masseuse.

A moment of silence passed through the room and Uraraka was able to sink back into her peace once more.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*

The loud jarring noise finally shook the sleeping girl from her slumber. She immediately tried sitting up - but she found it impossible. What...what was on top of her?

"I'll be right there!" She called out finally opening her eyes and realizing what was stopping her from getting up.

Deku had somehow rolled directly on top of her in the middle of their sleeping. It was almost like he was pinning her. A bright red blush came across her face as she realized the position - and an even deeper red appeared when she noticed how she was grasping onto him like a possessive bear cub!

Before she could attempt to roll him off, the green-headed teen opened his eyes groggily, "W-Wha? Uraraka? What am I..."

Izuku sat up only causing Uraraka (who was still wrapped around him in a death grip) to come right up with him. The two teens were left gripping each other on her bed.

Deku and Uraraka looked down at their mushed together bodies straddling each other. Then they looked up and met each other's gaze. Simultaneously, the two's eyes widened, their faces went red, and a combined scream echoed through the dorm room.

"So... why were you two in the same room together all night?" Kirishima cheekily asked as the embarrassed "couple" walked on either side of him.

Deku decided to stay silent as even he was extremely confused. The last thing he remembered was going outside in the middle of the night for some fresh air, so how did he end up on top of Uraraka? That was definitely a predicament - not to mention his "body" springing to action. If these situations keep on happening he's definitely going to wind up in a psych ward. Curse these feelings.

"U-Um...We were st-studying!" Uraraka answered quickly trying to conceal her blush, "Y-Yah! We had a lot of work to make up since we were gone at our hero studies, we just fell asleep." Hopefully, that story was believable. She was sure Kirishima didn't buy it, but maybe he would be kind and just let it go. Oh jeez, she couldn't even imagine what Deku was thinking right now.

Deku was contemplating whether or not they actually studied. The likelihood of him completely forgetting about him and Uraraka studying was extremely low, but why else would Uraraka lie? He _was_ extremely tired last night. Could he and she have spent all night studying and they simply fell asleep next to each other? No. Well...maybe?

Kirishima processed the information as the trio entered the common room, "studying" as Uraraka called it seemed to be a very easy answer. Hell, he thought Midoriya had gone back to _his _room last night. He had no clue the real reason they were together, but he figured he would spare them the embarrassment. These next few hours would be hell for all of them. No use making it any worse.

As the three neared the doors of Heights Alliance, a green-headed frog appeared in their vision, "Well, kero, this is it, guys."

"We're finally gonna get to save that little girl," Kirishima announced as the four walked out of the dormitory. The four had been called in by Night-eye and the other heroes. The siege on the Yakuza hideout was finally taking place. The sheer anxiety that came with performing a raid of this level weighed down on them heavily. And that day, at 8:30 in the morning, the four U.A. students would feel more fear than ever before.

Well, maybe only 3 of the students felt that fear. One of them, Izuku Midoriya - felt nothing but anger and determination. He _would_ be saving Eri today, no matter what it took. That little girl was stronger then him, All Might, Endeavor, and all the pros combined. She suffers day in and day out, with no hope, and she still made the call to try and protect Mirio and himself by running away. He had to provide that hope, he had to _save her. _It didn't matter what his mind thought, it didn't matter whether or not he was prepared or ready for something like that monster Chisaki... he would pay for the countless hours of abuse he put Eri through. That was one thing he was certain of. No matter what.

Deku launched into the sky, energy flowing around him like never before. It stung like he was getting shocked on the metal slide at a playground, but 10 times worse. He only had one goal, stop the monster named Chisaki.

_Kick the air_

Deku flew through the atmosphere at speeds he never thought possible - he could see Chisaki forming into a larger creature, he was getting ready to attack!

_Dodge the blow_

Eri clung to his back with Mirio's cape keeping her safe, her quirk held Izuku's life by a thread. One slip-up and he would revert to nothing, and if not for it, he would break his body beyond repair. But Deku, the _Hero _Deku, he held Eri's life in _his_ hands! It was his job to save her, and he would do just that!

_Punch - Punch - Punch!_

Deku stayed laser-focused on the enemy ahead. The man that killed Eri over and over just for his own goals. Torturing a small child for nothing else then selfish gains! The man that murdered his own accomplices just to be stronger. His loyal followers, he ripped apart their bodies into particles of blood and _fused _with them! This man needed to die. He needed to be removed from this earth! Scum like this didn't deserve life.

_Make sure Eri doesn't fall - __AAH! _

His bones cracked and repaired faster then he could comprehend. He had to keep hurting himself or he would cease to exist. He could not fail here, Mirio, Mr. Aizawa, Eri, Fat-gum, Kirishima, Tsu, All Might, Uraraka, Night-eye...

They all depended on him. He would not fail, he _would_ stop Chisaki

_Just kill him!_

* * *

...

Izuku's head hung low as his knees bounced up and down. The soles of his shoes lightly tapped the freshly polished tile. His fingers gripped each other so tightly, white beamed through his pale skin. The boy was a mess. A shell of his vibrant self.

Uraraka could tell that much. Not that she was any better. She could barely keep her thoughts straight - all she could think about was Nighteye. She had him in her arms - if she had only performed better under the stress if she had only taken extra medical classes she might have been able to save him. If she were only more prepared.

But instead...Nighteye was dead.

Izuku furiously ruffled his hair trying to snap himself out of it. He couldn't - he couldn't no matter how hard he tried. If he had gotten there only a few minutes prior Mirio would still have a quirk. If he hadn't listened to Nighteye, he could have helped him! If he had just thought for himself and did what his gut told him to none of this would have happened!

As his mind sank deeper his eyes watched as Rock Lock was wheeled past him. His wife and son stayed at his side. Following him was Mr. Aizawa. He spared a generally worried glance towards Izuku and Uraraka - only to continue forward. He probably had more important matters to attend to, he did say something earlier about taking care of Eri.

Izuku didn't know if it was the atmosphere of the hospital. Or the tears of Nighteye's family. Eri's confused weeping. Seeing Nejire cry for the first time. Mirio breaking from his usual gleeful self.

Or maybe it was Uraraka's tears that she was desperately trying to hide. And the knowledge that he honestly could not help her right now, even if he tried.

He saved Eri. But he couldn't save Nighteye or Mirio. This was all his fault. Everything - all of it. And he couldn't do SHIT about it!

This did not feel like a victory for the heroes.

In a blinded manner, Izuku jumped out of the waiting chair and started to speed walk down the stuffy hospital hallway. He had to get out of that place, he simply could not stay there.

Uraraka's puffy face snapped up - her eyes following the boy as he sped off. She almost immediately got up after him, she was still weak from the villain's quirk but she could walk at a normal pace.

"Deku! Where are you going?!" Uraraka desperately called to the seemingly mute boy.

She didn't receive a response, which only prompted her to follow the boy even further. It seemed like she was racing for her life when in reality she was only walking at a relatively slow pace. That villains quirk had drained her entirely, she could barely stand an hour ago, this was not good. She needed to get to Deku, but...she just...felt so tiredly.

The green-haired boy himself was too tunnel-visioned to notice Uraraka collapse on the floor 30 ft. behind him. He didn't notice the staff rushing to her aid, he didn't even notice a pink-haired nurse grabbing her with more speed than necessary. All he was focused on was getting out. He had to get out. He had to leave this place, he had to-

"Midoriya?"

...

"Togata..."

Mirio took a long look at the young boy, sweat dripped from his face, the normal bundle of joy was a mess. "Hey, are you ok?"

Izuku struggled to look at him, he was the pinnacle of his failure. Chisaki's damned bullets that HE could have stopped. If only he was faster!

"I-" Izuku turned to face the golden-haired hero, "I am _so sorry_, I..."

Mirio placed a single hand on the boy's shoulder, "Midoriya, you don't have to apologize. None of this was your fault."

Izuku looked up at his senior and clenched his fists to prevent him from breaking down right there, "No...if I had gotten their quicker if I had only-"

"Midoriya!"

The young boy's eyes widened at Mirio's sudden rise in volume.

"Listen," Mirio brought a hand to his face, covering his eyes for a brief moment, "Let's talk in my room..."

* * *

_*Event shown in anime occurs, Midoriya offers to give one for all to Mirio. Mirio declines and explains to Midoriya how that would leave someone else without a quirk, and explains to him how his hope for the future and his quirk returning is strong enough to keep him in a positive mindset._

* * *

"Do you understand now Midoriya? We may have lost a lot, but think of what we saved! Think of what _you_ saved!"

Midoriya wiped a few stray tears from his face before replacing them with a small smile, "Yah, I do Togata. Thank you - and you _will _get your quirk back. I promise!"

Mirio gave the boy a light smile of gratitude, "Thank you."

Sounds of rushing feet filled the boy's ears, a loud voice screamed, "Clear the way!" Izuku's face whipped towards the yelling doctor out in the hall. They had already ran passed Mirio's room, but Izuku's eyes caught the tail end of the hospital bed they seemed to be pushing. Familiar brown locks flowed over the headrest, and Izuku's eyes widened with fear.

Rushing up out of his seat, not even bothering to let Mirio know what was happening, the boy ran straight out into the claustrophobic hallways once more. Turning his head towards the bustling commotion, his eyes widened at what he feared he saw before, "Uraraka!"

Izuku nearly activated one for all before his senses came back to him, he immediately sprinted towards her. He ran alongside of her fast-moving hospital bed, placing a hand on her shoulder, "Uraraka! Are you ok!?" She was unresponsive, _what was happening!? _Looking up to one of the nurses running alongside the doctor trying to clear a path forward, he immediately grew angry, "Ma'am! What is wrong with her!? Why is she-"

The boy suddenly stopped talking as a hand grabbed his wrist, "D-Deku..."

His eyes widened, and within a few milliseconds, another Nurse pulled him away, "W-Wait! Uraraka!"

The nurse brought the boy to her eye-line, "Hey! She will be fine! You just need to let the doctors help her."

Izuku damn near broke free from the nurse's grip, but his mind got the better of him, "I..I'm sorry. But, what's wrong with her? She was fine a few minutes ago."

The nurse let out a heavy sigh, "She over-exerted herself. We found her collapsed on the floor down the hallway that way," she pointed at the end of the hallway where Deku had been sitting with her just before, "They are taking her to urgent care right now to give her an I.V. drip, she is incredibly low on nutrients and frankly we do not know why. She was cleared earlier, only advised to take it easy for a short while."

Bringing a hand up to his forehead and running it through his hair, Izuku let out a shaky sigh, "C-Can I see her? P-Please? She's...she's my best friend. Please."

The nurse gave the boy an empathetic look and then sighed once more, "No one but family is really supposed to be allowed in urgent care, but considering she does not have any guardian or parents here at the moment...ok. I'll see what I can do. Come with me."


	11. Hospital Scare - Brighter Future

**Thank you for the support - once again PLEASE review my work, it gives me a lot of motivation to continue it! Enjoy!**

* * *

Aizawa shuffled through the halls of the hospital, a heavy feeling of dread encapsulating his soul. He should have checked in with Midoriya and Uraraka, now she's in urgent care and he can't find the other one anywhere. This day was just too much for him to handle, god he wished he could sleep.

Today had not been the best of days. Yes - Eri was safe and that was most important. But...

Nighteye was dead...

Mirio's quirk was lost for the time being...

Villains had attacked the truck Chisaki was on, leaving multiple dead and Chisaki without hands. (The latter he admitted was not the worst outcome he could have imagined.)

And to top it all off, the entire hero alliance they had formed was deeply rattled. Nighteye's agency would need a new Pro to lead them. He might be able to convince one of the heroes from Ryuku's agency to take it over - he would have to check that over later.

Of course the press was all over this, only mere hours after it happened as well. Aizawa really wished he wasn't a teacher at U.A, he would love to just curse those shitty reporters out with no re-percussion. Unfortunately, he represented the top hero school in the country. Thankfully, he wouldn't have to risk his job or his school's reputation - as the hospital had a strict press ban from the urgent care and most area's of the building.

What was really dragging him down a few notches was the students. _His_ students were having breakdowns. _His _students were putting themselves in Urgent Care. The worst of all? He couldn't be there for them like he wanted to.

This was something they would have to face time and time again. This was a lesson they needed to learn - this _was_ a learning experience. Even if all of those things mattered, Aizawa still felt incredibly guilty. He allowed them to join such a large operation. Sure, it was their decision to join - and it's not like he could have stopped Midoriya from saving that girl - but they were still children. _First years_ nonetheless, these sorts of experiences don't usually happen to 3rd years, let alone first years.

It got him thinking, this class was targeted so heavily by villains. Why? He had his suspicions, the oddness of Midoriya's quirk - his unusual closeness with All Might. None of this happened before he came to work for the school. And sure, they had expected something similar when he had joined the staff. But to think that the League would attack this singular class multiple times within a few months...it was deeply concerning.

Aizawa was coming from Eri's room, she was placed in a special quirk limiting environment as to not danger herself or others. He had to watch her while they performed the move however. She was sleeping peacefully now, thankfully.

He got some of the other heroes to fill out the report with the police, he simply did not have enough time. Of course his students would have to as well, all of them were in the heart of the battle. But for now they needed to recover, paper work could come later.

Now, he needed to rush to the urgent care. Apparently Uraraka had collapsed once more, and he was the closest thing to a guardian she had at the moment. But one thing puzzled him, why did she suddenly collapse? She had been cleared by doctors with fatigue earlier. The villain had damaged her but surely not enough to cause this sort of damage.

He feared something more sinister was at work here...

* * *

"Uraraka I am so sorry-"

She sighed, "Deku..."

"I'm serious! This is all my fault, If I hadn't freaked out you wouldn't have gotten up to come after me."

"Deku - I'm fi-"

"I should've noticed that you fell down! You were still injured and I acted completely idio-"

"Deku! I'm fine!"

The boy in question uncharacteristically shut his mouth, looking up at the girl with a skeptical gaze, "No you're not." He eyed her odd shifts under the blanket. She was uncomfortable. Was it him being here? No, she wasn't like that.

Uraraka's eyes widened with confusion, "What are you talking about?" She asked him as if he were insane. He might as well be at this point.

"There's something wrong," He noticed her darkening red skin, "what happened to trusting each-other?"

He could really read her like a book. She clenched the thin hospital blanket tighter then she already had been, "Deku, you know I trust you."

He stayed silent, as if he expected her to know what he was asking. He wanted to know the full story. He wanted her to tell him everything that was happening to her, everything that was wrong with her, every bit of pain she felt. He was tired of the secrets between them.

"I-" Uraraka's blush turned pink as she looked down, "I...have a really bad bruise on my, my c-chest." Uraraka blushed furiously as she motioned towards her breasts in a rather fast manner.

Izuku's face dawned a slight red blush, "Oh..."

So that was why she was hesitant to say it. That made a _lot _of sense - if only he hadn't been so pushy. No! It was good she was telling him, he wanted her to be able to trust him with these things.

"It's not that bad," she added timidly, "Not that...I have had the chance to check it or anything. It's just..in a place where it hurts when I move at all, or even... sitting still, like I am."

His eyes glanced over her with worry, "Did the doctors check it out before?"

Uraraka shook her head slightly, "I didn't have it before...I must have gotten it when I passed out earlier."

Now he was truly perplexed. There was no way she could have gotten _that _bad a bruise from a 4 feet fall. He was surprised she was injured at all...come to think of it, why did she pass out in the first place?

"Uraraka, do you have any clue as to why you passed out like that? The doctor before said you were fine, right?"

Scrunching her eyebrows, Uraraka rubbed her hands together to stop the slight chill coming to them, "That's odd right? I swore the doctor told me I was good to go, I was walking perfectly fine beforehand - and I suddenly just collapse? I remember I couldn't even walk faster then a normal pace right before it happened."

He burrowed his eyebrows along with her, "Yah...that is strange," he eyed her hands rubbing together, "You ok?" He gestured to her hands.

"Yah, my hands and feet are just suddenly really cold," He looked up to see the girls eyes had glistened slightly, "I'm fine - I think there's just a draft in here or something."

_Something was definitely wrong -_

_\- Suddenly passing out_

_\- Hands and feet are cold even though it's decently warm_

_\- Bruising extremely easily_

_\- Major fatigue_

Izuku's eyes widened as he put the pieces together, "Uraraka, stay here - I'm gonna go get a doctor. Don't move ok? Better yet," the boy got up from his bedside chair and gently pushed her back onto the hospital bed leaning it back slightly as well, "Try to rest ok? I'll be right back."

"Deku?" Uraraka tried to sit up and grab his shoulder but found it nearly impossible, "W-What's wrong?"

Before exiting the room, he turned around, "Don't worry, your fine." He smiled, and with that he left the girl alone in her room.

* * *

"Anemia?"

Izuku tapped the counter of the Urgent Care wait area. He didn't have time for this! His mother had Anemia, he knew all the signs.

"Yes! Please, If you don't believe me come see for yourself! My mother is Anemic so I can tell when someone is suffering from it, cold hands and feet, random fatigue, passing out even when standing straight up, extremely sensitive skin to the point of bruising. Please sir!"

The doctor started to look at the boy more seriously now, "Ok, take me to her."

He followed Izuku, continuing to question the boy, "Do you know for certain that she has always suffered from this?"

Izuku shook his head, "No, she hasn't. This isn't like that, it's more short term I think. She must have lost a lot of blood or something."

"You _do_ understand she'll most likely need a blood transfusion right? Do you know what blood type she is?"

"She's type B , but I'm _O_ so if needed I can donate blood."

The doctor nodded quickly, "alright - you might have to."

The two rushed into Uraraka's room coming face to face with Mr. Aizawa. The doctor noted his prescense but immediately shifted around him to attend to the patient.

"Mr. Aizawa! Is-" Izuku walked forward to Uraraka's bedside only to see her completely passed out, "U-Uraraka!"

Aizawa grabbed his shoulder, "She'll be fine. You told to her rest didn't you?"

Letting out a breath he didn't know he was holding, Izuku turned back around to his teacher, "Oh, y-yah. Good."

_'Wait...was Mr. Aizawa spying on them? How did he know I said that?'_

The doctor had already began his examination, "Young man, you said she had bruising right? Do you know where?"

Izuku nodded, his face turning a light pink, "on her...um...her breasts sir," He swallowed before continuing, "She said she got it from falling on the ground earlier, and that it hurt even sitting still. Which is odd because her fall couldn't have been more then a few feet."

The doctor finished taking her heart rate and buzzed two nurses in, "I'm going to have to examine the bruises, you two will have to leave the room for obvious reasons. We'll call you back in once we know what's wrong."

It took Izuku a few seconds to snap out of his worrying, well, a few seconds and Aizawa's cold hand grabbing his arm and practically dragging him outside of her room.

"You better be careful Midoriya, if it weren't me in there - the average person might've mistaken you for a pervert like Mineta."

His reaction was less then Aizawa had thought, the boy was worried for his friend, "Hey," Aizawa shook the kid by his shoulder slightly, "She'll be fine. You know that."

* * *

"Ms. Uraraka? I'm going to need you to lift your head and come to."

Uraraka opened her eyes, why was she so tired? It was like weights were weighing her down or something. What happened? Just a few minutes ago she was wide awake. Now, all she wanted to do was sleep, "Wh-What's wrong with me? Where's...Where's Deku?"

The nurse shined a flashlight into her eyes which shook her awake just a tiny bit, "The doctor is here to examine you, we're trying to figure out why you're so tired. We need you to consent first however."

Uraraka took a deep breath to try and regain some sort of stable consciousness, "W-What?"

Walking over to Uraraka with a pair of latex gloves, the doctor smiled, "You don't have to worry. I just want to take a look at your bruises under your shirt. It's ok if you would like a female doctor to take my place but we are short-staffed and this is slightly urgent."

Blinking heavily, the girl nodded her head, "Ya, of course..." she began to nod off once more, "I'm just...going to...rest a bit."

Uraraka was out like a light, now the doctor began to worry. She shouldn't be so tired, especially with a nutrient I.V. drip going into her. The doctor lifted Uraraka's hospital gown just barely enough to uncover the deep bruising underneath. He didn't want to expose the girl too much, if she were to wake up he wanted her to be as comfortable as possible.

He examined the odd bruising with a pin-pointed eye. It was definitely strange - he could see where the young man was coming from with thinking she had lost enough blood to go anemic. If he had to guess it was probably a small version of that, nothing too serious. She showed all the signs, coldness, paleness, bruising, passing out. It made the most sense by far.

He brought a hand up to her lower breast and lifted it ever so slightly - his eyes widened with shock as blood ran down her body in a thin stream. What the hell?

A nurse handed him a small flashlight, "some gauze as well please." He added, he would need to stop the bleeding before she lost anymore blood.

As he lifted her breast even further and shined the flashlight on the connecting skin, he saw the source of the blood. A small...almost unnoticeable - needle sized hole. No wonder she bruised so easily here, something... or _someone_ had taken blood directly from this area. It was similar to injecting a blood thinning substance into someone's arm and them getting a bruise, but who did this? When she was examined earlier nothing like this was found.

Quickly placing some gauze and soothing cream over her bruises, the doctor re-covered Uraraka and wiped some of the now dry blood that had dripped out onto her side.

This was most definitely a form of blood loss, "Call them back in."

Aizawa and Izuku walked into the room almost awkwardly - more worried then anything really. Izuku's immediate reaction was to go to Uraraka's side, and Aizawa's was to address the doctor, "So, what is it?"

The doctor sighed, "She's definitely lost a lot of blood, we're going to have to set up an immediate blood transfusion. Young man," he turned to face Midoriya who was kneeling next to Uraraka holding her noticeably cold hands, "You said you were type O correct? It would be faster for you to donate right now then to send for her blood type. I don't want to take any chances."

Izuku nodded immediately, "Ya, of course."

Aizawa grew slightly confused, "Doctor...I'm sorry what was your name?"

"Oh," The doctor turned with a small smile, "My name is Inaba Kyudai , you can call me Dr. Kyudai."

"Well Dr. Kyudai," Aizawa looked down at Uraraka worriedly, "How did she lose the blood? Her earlier injuries were nothing to lose a lot of blood over."

Kyudai sighed, "Yes that is one thing I wanted to talk to you about," He turned to Izuku who was listening intently whilst getting his blood taken, "I'm not sure why," he turned back to Aizawa, "but there was a small needle mark on her chest with fresh blood still leaking. It's patched, but whatever happened it had to have been _someone_, not something."

Aizawa's eyes widened, and his mind raced for answers. Needle mark, fresh blood, lost blood, enough to make her Anemic...

_"Toga_..."

The entire room went silent, Izuku's eyes widened and he turned his head to Aizawa, "Toga? She's here?! What did she do to Uraraka!?" The nurse quieted the boy telling him to be calm while his blood was drawn.

Aizawa's fist curled into a tight ball, "Stay here, all of you. Even you Dr. Kyudai - Midoriya, don't worry," Aizawa turned and walked out of the room, "I'm not letting this happen again."

* * *

"Toga! I will say that was quite ballsy of you!" Twice bounced back and forth as him and Toga walked through the ally behind the hospital's parking lot, "A surely genius move!"

Toga smiled, "Poor little Ochako, I probably bruised her up real nice," she stopped to lick her lips seductively and plastered an embarrassed smile, "she is just my favorite treat!"

The two reached the end of the ally and uncovered the man hole leading to the nearby sewer system, "Shiggy's gonna _love _me for this one!"

Twice smiled underneath his mask, "Exactly how much blood did you nab Toga?"

Toga dipped her body down the hole, "Oh, let's just say," she lowered herself down, "Enough..."

* * *

"Hey, are you feeling okay?"

Uraraka rubbed her eyes trying to adjust to the new scenery, "Deku? W-Where are we?"

The two sat in the back of a black car heading towards U.A. High school. Her chest felt...padded? No, it was just a bandage or something, "W-What happened? I thought we were at the hospital?"

Izuku ran a hand through his hair, "We're on our way back to U.A. A villain infiltrated the hospital so all the people who _could_ leave had to. Mr. Aizawa is still there searching for her."

Uraraka's eyes widened at the information, a villain infiltrated the hospital? What for? Wait, "Deku, you said _her_, do you know who the villain was?"

His eyes darted down in a scowl, almost like he was mad at himself for letting info get out, "Ya...Uraraka listen - don't freak out ok? You're still supposed to be taking it easy and I'm not really supposed to be telling this to you."

Uraraka nodded her head slightly, "I'll be fine."

"Ok," he swallowed, "Toga. Toga infiltrated the hospital and...she stole blood from you."

Her eyes widened with fear and she immediately felt an acidic bile climb the back of her throat. Toga...that blonde headed psychopath? She _stole_ her blood? Uraraka unconsciously placed a hand over her bruise and flinched at the sudden contact, "Is that why..."

Izuku nodded, "Yah. The doctor found a needle mark, and they checked the security footage confirming it. She was there, we aren't sure exactly when it happened but it was sometime between you passing out and getting sent to the ER."

Uraraka went silent, what else was she supposed to say? Toga could have been _anyone. _A nurse? The doctor even? She consented to the examination right? What if it was the doctor. She let out a shaky breathe and stared down at her legs, this was terrifying.

The boy thought about embracing her, just for a moment. But then he remembered her bruise, and then he thought twice, "Uraraka..."

Uraraka was thinking through every interaction she had in the time slot of going to the ER. The nurse that picked her up after she fell? The doctors and nurses that were rushing her to urgent care? W-What if it was...no...

Tears started to spring from the girls eyes and Izuku had to fight his instinct - which was to panic, "Uraraka, its ok, your safe now."

She looked up at Izuku, "Deku..." her face scrunched together as she began to cry, "W-What if it was the doctor? He examin..."

Eyes shooting open, Izuku completely disregarded his earlier restraint and brought the girl into a half hug - being careful not to touch her bruise. He brought a hand behind her head and directed her crying into his chest, "Uraraka, it wasn't the doctor. I was with him the entire time, I would never have let him do that to you."

Uraraka's mind fired away as tears soaked the boys shirt, "Deku...not during my examination, I had to...I had to consent to that," the girl muffled choppy sentences into Izuku's chest, "w-what If...I..."

"Uraraka no," Izuku embraced the girl ever so slightly tighter, "There were nurses in the room, it couldn't have been him. I promise you whatever happened, it wasn't the doctor."

The truth is Izuku had no clue whether or not the doctor was the culprit. For all he knew Toga had been impersonating him, but he doubted it. The doctor seemed professional, and Mr. Aizawa was there as well. No way she was that convincing. No way.

"Deku I," Uraraka weeped into the boys shirt, "I'm sorry. I'm ruining your shirt." He chuckled lightly at her comments. She continued to cry to him for a few minutes before sitting up and sniffling away her remaining tears.

"I'm sorry," Uraraka said with a small laugh mixed with tinges of sadness, "I'm overreacting, just like I said I wouldn't."

He shook his head, "No, Uraraka your not. I get it, it's...frightening to know that something like that happened to you."

The car became silent for a few minutes. Not an awkward silence though, it was comfortable. They just, didn't have much to say. That is, until Izuku remembered something from earlier.

"Uraraka, you understand that Nighteye was not your fault right?"

Uraraka's eyes widened, "I..." she looked down with yet another sad tone. A contemplative scowl as she eyed her hands.

Izuku scooted closer to the girl, "It wasn't your fault. It _wasn't_ Uraraka," he placed a hand on her back, "It wasn't mine either. It was no-one but Chisaki's fault."

Uraraka looked to her left and met Izuku's eye-line, "Deku..."

"As heroes, we know what we are getting into. We know the risks and that isn't our fault. Nighteye sacrificed his life to save me and Mirio, and Eri..."

The car pulled into the U.A. high gates - and began to drive towards Heights Alliance. It was pitch black outside, the only lighting left was the red glare coming from the car's break lights.

"He chose to do that. He was a great hero, and even though he's gone we shouldn't be pining over things we could have done better. We should focus on what we gained. We saved a little girls life, we _gave _her a life. Taking the blame for something _he _chose to do is selfish - Togata told me that. It isn't our fault that Nighteye was an amazing hero."

The rubber wheels rolled to a stop in front of the dorms. Lights were on in the common room, the entire class was waiting for the two to return from the hospital.

"So don't worry about it...ok?"

Uraraka breathed in and leaned into Deku's body, "Thank you Deku."


	12. Fear of the Unknown

**Hello! A faster update this time! It is a little shorter then other chapters but the next one shouldn't take that long. Thank you for your continued support and reviews - Enjoy! Also this picks up after the festival.**

* * *

_Left - Right - Left - Right - _Izuku bounced back and forth on the balls of his feet, as Todoroki, who stood across him, moved into a sparring stance. He cracked his fingers, and moved into his own, before shooting forward. The boys body swiftly skirted across the combat mat of the Heights Alliance gymnasium. His feet stopped abruptly in front of his opponent, throwing Todoroki off his balance.

A quick jab came towards Shoto's head, it was briskly evaded by a side step. In response, he went to grab Izuku's wrist, but was knocked back by a firm kick to the center of his abdomen.

Shaking it off, Shoto sprung back into action. He lunged forward - a large flurry of strikes and blocks followed, before Izuku tried a leg sweep. _Big mistake._

Jumping over the low attack, he immediately regained his footing - a small lunge towards Izuku was enough to push him back on his heels. Here was his opportunity, he leaped over his unbalanced opponent and gripped his arm, a desperate attempt at blocking the obvious blow. Izuku couldn't have done much better however.

With a firm lock on his forearm - Shoto slammed Izuku's body to the ground. His right hand came to hold his torso in place as he kneeled over his sparring partner.

The pinned boy took a deep breathe, "Nice Todoroki, I can tell you've been practicing your hand to hand combat. That was our fastest match yet."

He stood up and offered his hand to Midoriya, "I can't always rely on my quirk - if I wanna be better then my father, I need to better myself in every aspect."

With a smile, Izuku took the boys hand and hoisted himself up. He cracked his neck, and stretched out his right arm, "You really have a good grip man."

Shoto shrugged, and then formed an ice disk - placing it over the large bruise forming on his abdomen, "You got one hell of a kick as well."

Brushing the damp hair out of his face, Izuku chuckled at the boys compliments, "Thanks Todoroki. I'd say let's go one more round but-"

"Midoriya!"

The two teens turned to face the door to Heights Alliance gym. They recognized that voice. It was none other then one Iida Tenya - standing as robotic as ever.

"Iida? What's up?" Izuku replied picking up his small towel and wiping the sweat off his face.

"I have come to issue a challenge!" Iida smirked and softened his loud and jagged tone, "Let's have a race!"

Shoto walked past Izuku and towards the doorway, "A race? What for?"

Iida nodded his head firmly, "the class is having a little betting game as to whether or not you are faster then me Midoriya. It seems a large majority of them believe you _are_ faster than me," he smiled playfully, "I am simply going to prove them wrong."

Izuku shot him a smirk, "Oh really? So this is a challenge right? I'm in!"

"Alright then! I will be besting you in this race in front of our dormitory! So if you will kindly follow me..." Iida smirked as his walked out the door of the gym.

Shoto and Izuku looked at each other with amazement, was that really Iida? Who knew he could be so...so...jokey! The two boys quickly jogged towards the exit, Izuku calling out to their friend, "Hold up Iida! We'll see who's really the fastest!"

As the three walked out in front of Heights Alliance, they found a good portion of the class discussing the upcoming competition.

"I'm telling you Sero! Tenya's main thing is SPEED! Of course he's gonna win!"

"Kaminari, what are you on?! Have you not seen Midoriya run? He's like a lightning bolt!"

"You both are crazy!" Mina budded in between the two rowdy teens, "obviously Iida is gonna win because he has his Recipro Burst! Duh!"

Iida walked in the middle of the discussion, "Now, now, instead of talking about it, why don't Midoriya and myself simply start the race right now?"

With that the two runners positioned themselves at the starting spot. The front door of Heights Alliance. The race track would be around the entire U.A. School and back to where they started. Iida fired up his Recipro's and Izuku kicked up his One for All to 10% - he would probably need even more.

"You guys ready?" Jirou walked in front of the two boys itching to get going.

After they both nodded - Jirou began the countdown.

"3...2...1...GO!"

They both shot off on the pathway - their shoes leaving skid marks on the tiled floor. Almost immediately Iida took a large lead. Izuku would need to kick up his One for All if he really wanted to win this.

'_Let's give 15% a try'_

As his percentage output cranked up, Izuku could feel the pressure on his bones increase. It was painful, but not unbearable. The gap closed almost immediately...until Iida glanced over his should and smirked.

Out of nowhere his blue haired friend shot forward with a cloud of blue smoke in his place. His eyes widened at the incredible speed, but he had no time to gawk. He pushed himself to release 20% of his power and within seconds he could see Iida once more.

This output was almost too much for him. All Might had lectured him about using this too frequently - saying it could permanently stunt his growth in his bones. But he had little choice here - he couldn't simply _let _Iida beat him. They were on the last stretch, only 300 more feet or so, and it was closing fast. All he needed was one last push!

Iida gritted his teeth and let out even more blue flames then before. Izuku's AFO capacity was almost at its limit, anymore and his body would fold under the pressure. It stung, but he wanted to win!

They were neck and neck, hairs ahead of each other. That is, until Iida dug deep one last time and shoveled out even more fuel to his engines. With a burst of blue smoke - the blue haired boy launched ahead of Izuku one last time. Iida had done it, he had won.

The two boys skirted to a stop next to their finish line, heavy breathing soon encapsulated their voices. The class rushed over to the two panting boys, Mina was giggling at her classmates who had lost bets to her, "Ill be taking my money now!"

With a huff, the boys handed over their money - and everyone went back to laughing and congratulating Iida. Bakugo stood in the back looking rather ticked off - and the rest of the class simply chuckled at the participants stammered calls for a rematch.

After having some water *courtesy of Yaomomo* Iida and Izuku bumped fists.

"Iida - I did not expect you to be that fast! You really surprised me!"

The blue haired boy smiled, "Well Midoriya, you are not the only one training to be a future hero. But speaking of training - you are INSANELY fast! It's incredible how much you can crank up your power output!"

Izuku blushed at the small compliment, "Aah, well it kinda hurts when I push it like that - actually it really hurts - but I'm getting used to it which is a good thing!"

"Don't push yourself to the breaking point Midoriya," Iida placed a hand on his shoulder, "We can work together on getting stronger - but try not to break yourself along the way as much."

The green goofball smiled widely, "Of course Iida. I'm expecting a rematch!"

Before he could take him up on his offer, a few of the boys from the class picked Iida up and started chanting his name. As Iida was pulled away by the rest of the class, Izuku couldn't help but smile. He almost had forgotten how much the rest of his classmates were progressing. He suddenly felt the urge to train even harder then before.

Feeling a rather aggressive tap on his shoulder, Izuku turned around instantly, only to find Bakugou - looking as pissed off as usual.

"Deku, we gotta go," the blonde showed him a text from All Might, "he needs to talk with us."

Bakugo then mouthed the words, _about One for All, _ which completely altered Izuku's mood. It must be urgent for All Might to not find them himself. And it's been a while since he's really had a "One for All" Talk.

With a firm nod, the two took off towards the school. A small feeling of anxiety lingered around them, more towards Izuku then Bakugo.

He should have brought his phone today - he would've gotten that text as well. No use worrying about it now, but still. What could this meeting be about? If Bakugo got it, that means Uraraka most likely received it.

He glanced over to the blonde, he looked...agitated. Not _un__usual_, but it seemed more genuine today.

"Hey, did he say anything else about this meeting?"

Bakugo looked towards him, "What do you mean?"

"Like...do you know if this is really serious? Or anything about what's going on?"

He glanced forward, seemingly scanning his memory for an answer to Izuku's question, "I don't know. Earlier I got really pissed off cuz all the teachers were having an argument that was loud as hell - I'm thinking it has something to do with that."

"Oh," Izuku thought back over the day as well, "It seems like ever since the festival they have been on a tighter lock-down. Not to mention before the festival Uraraka was attacked in the Hospital like that."

"Ya. I've been thinking..." Bakugo looked towards the main school building with discontent, "You think one of us could be a traitor?"

Izuku's eyes widened, "T-Traitor?"

A long sigh escaped the emotionally explosive boy, "That argument I was talking about. It sounded like they were saying something along the lines of a traitor being in U.A."

Staying silent, Izuku played with the idea of one of his friends being a traitor. He hated it. These were the people he _lived_ with, they were all his best friends and to even fathom that one could betray the rest. It didn't sit well with him.

Bakugo seemed to notice his friends disdain, "I don't like it, but its getting to the point where it makes sense. Think about it - the USJ, how did they know our class was there? Or the summer training camp, how is it possible that they knew the location of that place? All of the teachers said that not even the rest of U.A. knew the location. It makes it hard for one of us to have let the enemy know our location but I don't see another option."

Looking down, Izuku contemplated on the idea, "I...I don't want to - but I'd believe it."

After hearing Bakugo's reasoning, he almost _did_ believe it.

"Ya..."

As the two neared the entrance to the school - a welcomed voice rang from behind them, "Guys! Wait up!"

Turning around, they saw none other then Ochako Uraraka running full force towards them. Bakugo growled below his breath, while Izuku smiled wholeheartedly. The two were as close as ever since the festival, all of their previous awkwardness being lost.

Raising a hand, Izuku called out to their friend. "Uraraka! Hey!"

Stopping in front of them, Uraraka took a moment to catch her breath, "Sorry, I got the text and rushed over here as soon as I could."

"We gotta go - he's expecting us."

With that Bakugo turned around and left the two standing there.

Uraraka elbowed Izuku as they followed him, "He doesn't seem to be in a good mood today, huh?"

"I wouldn't hold it against him," he shot a concerned look to the boy, "There's a lot happening right now."

While the three walked through U.A. towards All Mights office - All Might himself paced around his desk. He was worried - extremely worried.

He never felt such a growing sense of guilt before - what he was about to tell them of...accuse them of...

* * *

"I'm glad you three got here so soon, please have a seat."

Izuku, Bakugo, and Uraraka all sat down in front of All Might's long brown desk. He was being extremely serious, not something that was necessarily common with All Might.

The thin man eyed the students, a look of guilt flashing across his eyes, "Actually, I am sorry young Uraraka, Bakugo - I am going to need to speak to Midoriya alone first."

Uraraka and Bakugo immediately shot their eyes open with confusion, but All Might quickly raises his hand.

"It's alright, just some master student talk - nothing important."

Nodding, Uraraka got up and moved to leave the office for the time being. Bakugo growled for a few extra seconds before shooting up and following the girl.

As the door shut, Toshinori sighed and brought a hand to his head, "Young Midoriya..."

"Sir," Izuku gulped as he suddenly felt the tension in the room rise, "What you have to talk to only _me _about is actually important...right?"

Nodding, the blonde sat down in his desk and eyed the confused teenager, "Listen. This isn't going to be easy to hear. Not at all."

Tightening his fist, the boy leaned forward in his chair, "It's ok, I can take it."

The former number one hero chuckled at Izuku's stark nature, "I am well aware, just thought I'd warn you a bit. There is a reason I asked the other two to step out."

Izuku opted to stay silent.

"Everyone is..." Toshinori rubbed the bridge between his eyes before meeting Izuku's gaze, "Everyone in Class 1-A is a prime suspect for being a traitor to the school."

...

...

...

_What?_


	13. Breakdown

**Super long chapter today - 7.5k words! Probably my longest chapter to date! A lot happens mainly because I both wanted to keep this to one chapter, but I also originally wrote this as 2 chapters. This story I am planning out and I want to expand it into something greater. Originally I wanted to make this a simple story that followed the anime making IzuOcha canon - but now I have MANY ideas as to where I can go in terms of time skips - stuff with the League, possibly branching this off into a completely different reality compared to canon. I DO like the idea of Izuku going to America after graduation. **

**That would be AT LEAST another 50k words though and even more chapters waaaaayyyyyy down the line, and I may be getting over my head here but its nice to plan things. I am so glad at all the support this has been getting, so I hope you like the chapter and where I bring the story from here on out. Don't worry - at the end of the day this is a slow burn Izuocha fic - which means eventually we'll get to them being together. But it is slow burn for a reason, I'm just REALLY taking my time XD, lol - hope you ****Enjoy! **

* * *

He knew this...Izuku _knew _this. It all factually made sense to him. Bakugo had explained it only a few minutes prior. The only class that was targeted by the league of villains was class 1-A. The only people besides teachers that would have known about the classes location would be the students. Everything pointed to the traitor being one of his classmates.

He _knew_ this...so why did he feel like throwing up?

His hands trembled - and his eyes felt stuck open. The gulp that followed physically hurt his throat, and the only word he could say was a simple question. "What?" His eyes watched as his mentor moved to comfort him.

"Midoriya, it's ok." All Might leaned forward as if to grab his shoulders and bring him into a hug. There was a part of Izuku that wanted one. But there was a larger part that screamed to disagree with the claims.

"N-No! It's not ok! Everyone in my class has been attacked by the league! How does that not clear us of being suspects?" He could feel himself losing it. It was clear his emotions were getting the better of him, he didn't _want _to act this way. He knew the logical reasoning behind all of these claims were sound. But still - "N-No..."

All Might once again shifted his tone to comfort him, "Young Midoriya - just calm dow-"

"NO!" Izuku shot up from his chair and paced to the other side of the room, "H-How can I?! You're telling me the school seriously thinks our class has a traitor? That my _friends _are traitors?!" His hands came up to his now flushed face - and he could feel the familiar sting of tears wash over his cheeks. A part of his mind resented those tears - they always showed up at the worst times. Like right now - when he was freaking out at his mentor.

"Young Midoriya!_" _Toshinori abruptly stood up and moved to the boys side. His voice echoed lightly, it was loud - clear - powerful. As he walked towards him a small twang of fear shot through Izuku's mind. He had forgotten how powerful his teacher could sound when he wanted to. All the fear left him however, when he simply brought his hands up and held his shoulder in an attempt to stop his anger, "Take a deep breath. No - the _school _does not think this. The Hero Public safety commission does however. Now please, take a seat and be quiet! The rooms are soundproof but Uraraka and Bakugo are right outside."

Oh right - he had forgotten about his friends right outside the door. There was a good reason for All Might wanted to talk to to him alone, now that he realized he had gone on such an outburst, it was clear what that reason was - "I-I'm sorry, I d-don't know what got over me." He took a deep breath, and tried his hardest to calm down. He could not believe this. First off the entirety of his class were being thought of as traitors. Did that mean him as well? Questions for later obviously - but still. His _entire class. _The thought twisted Izuku's spine - even the idea of any of his friends betraying them. It was a terrible notion.

Toshinori heaved a heavy sigh before walking Izuku back to his chair, "It's alright. Frankly it's what I expected. Hearing that all of your friends are being put as prime suspects is not an easy thing." The thin blonde man wiped his forehead and walked back to his side of the desk.

As the two sat down once more, Izuku brought his scarred hand up to his face. The roughness kept him grounded - he couldn't have another outburst like that. Not at All Might - he _needed _to keep his emotions in check. But before that he also needed more information, "Sir, does that include Uraraka and Bakugo...and me?"

"Yes," Toshinori shouldered a guilt ridden face, "Actually. Not you young Midoriya, but those two are." He nodded towards the door to his office - looking rather pale at the idea that two of his most trusted students could be traitors.

"So..." Izuku ran a shaky hand through his hair, feeling the nervous sweat catch onto his hand, "I am the only one who is cleared, out of the entire class."

"That is correct."

...

"Why?" Izuku asked, holding back an angry undertone.

"That is why I asked to speak to you alone in the first place ," Toshinori opened a file including multiple pages of what seemed to be student files, "I was able to clear you - since I was invited to the national Hero gala. And I had a plus one. Luckily my voice still has some power." It made sense - Izuku's mentor had been the number one hero. _The _figure of peace for the world, it was no where near a surprise that his voice alone could go miles.

Izuku once again stayed silent. He did not like the way this conversation was going. The whole idea of his best friends being possible traitors - and him being the special case out of the class. It didn't sit well with him, and he could feel his emotions slipping once more. His hand slipped into his pocket and he pinched his thigh - a quick trick in order to get him back on track mentally.

"Basically, I used the excuse of me bringing you to the dinner as a way to get you cleared from being put in lock-down. That's what's gonna happen to the rest of the class, they will all be locked in the dorms." The glint on Toshinori's eyes shined with pity - his entire face drooped lower then before and his hand came up to scratch the side of his cheek. "Think of it like a precautionary measure just in case any of them actually are the traitor."

Izuku's lips twitched with a snarl, "Sir-"

A quick raise of his hand stopped the boy from losing it once more. Toshinori slowly lowered it as he continued, "What I am about to say next Midoriya, it is going to get you mad. But you _need_ to understand where I am coming from here," he watched as the boy fidgeted in his chair, "I don't trust Uraraka and Bakugo like I trust you."

Izuku immediately tensed. He could almost feel the blood rushing to his fists as they tightened. Biting his lower lip only helped slightly - but when a thin trickle of blood ran against his tongue he could tell he was losing it again. The irony taste running through his mouth Trying his hardest not to explode, he pushed through gritted teeth, "What."

Sighing, Toshinori once again brought a hand to his face, "Listen to me young Midoriya. What we need is for all three of you to be out of the school, away from the lock-down - for a while," he reached under his desk and pulled out a file that was unfamiliar, "The Committee is sending a man that goes by the name Revere. He is a retired Pro, who's quirk is essentially a truth revealing serum."

His face red with anger - Izuku pushed down his feelings once more. "And all three of us know of one for all - we can't risk this man forcing us to reveal that."

"Precisely," he handed the file to Izuku, and the boy hesitantly took it, "But the only problem is I cannot know for certain that those two aren't the traitor. And I know what you are about to say - but _listen_. I'm going to use all of my power to stop the secret of One for All getting out, and for me to do that I need _complete_ certainty that Uraraka and Bakugo are on our side. For all we know they have been playing from the enemies this entire time."

Izuku had been staring at the ground for a minute, ignoring the hero description file in his hands. "S-Sir," he stammered from pure anger, "I under...I understand your concern. But Kacchan, he was _kidnapped_ by the villains. Surely that is enough to clear him!" He could feel his anger slipping once more.

The thin man looked defeated, "I know, I was getting to that."

Izuku's eyes shot up, "What do you mean?"

"I have a plan already Young Midoriya, I know that Bakugo is not a possible suspect. But..."

_Uraraka is._

That's what he was going to say, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Not that it mattered, Izuku wasn't dumb. He knew what All Might was getting at here. The flames in Izuku's eyes were nearly visible, "...but you suspect Uraraka?"

"I don't, but I need to be completely certain."

...

"...Sir..." Izuku's face showed nothing but anger, "With all do respect, are you out...of your mind?"

Toshinori's eyes widened, "W-What?"

"I am willing to bet my mother's _life_ on Uraraka being innocent. She was attacked by Toga in the hospital only a few weeks ago!"

"Young man I understand that but that's,"

"I trust _her _more then Bakugo! You trusted me enough to share this secret with her in the first place! What's different with this?! If they already know _our _secret what's stopping them from telling the league?!"

Toshinori abruptly stood up, "Izuku!"

The boys eyes widened, and he realized that he was leaning over All Might's desk and screaming in his face. He rapidly pulled back, his hands trembling, and his eyes wide with shock. He had done it again - he lost his cool. "I...I am _so _sorry sir-"

With a single raise of his hand, Toshinori called for Izuku to stop. And stop he did. "Young Midoriya. I am sorry, and I understand your frustration and your anger. But what I need you to understand, is my reasoning. So please, let me explain why I am not fully convinced Uraraka is innocent."

Izuku rubbed his hands through his hair - he had been trying so hard to not explode. When he heard his feelings on Uraraka however, he couldn't help it. Sitting down let Toshinori know that he was willing to listen. So he sat, looking up to his mentor, hoping his reasoning was justified. But then again - he also hoped his reasoning wasn't. He couldn't even begin to fathom Uraraka being a traitor.

Toshinori sat down as well, "Alright, now I _do _trust her. I _do _trust your word. It is not that I believe she is the traitor - it is what I believe the Committee thinks."

Confusion is all that could be seen on Izuku's face, "What do you mean sir?"

A long sigh followed, but Toshinori continued, "There are two reasons I suspect they will believe she is a main suspect. One, she was attacked by a villain that can transform into anyone at will. We know now that Toga has taken Uraraka's blood - there's a chance even as we speak, the Uraraka outside is not the _real _Uraraka."

Shivering at the thought, Izuku nodded once more. He needed to calm down, getting like this was not helping anyone. All Might himself said that he did not suspect Uraraka, but there is a chance Toga could switch out with her at any moment, "That would mean Toga has been posing as Uraraka for a while now."

"Yes, but I doubt she would be so convincing that none of you realized this. I know you two are close - I'm sure you would have realized something being different. Anyways, the second reason is there is a gap, in Uraraka's attendance, a day before the USJ incident..."

Izuku stayed silent, a small pit in his stomach forming.

"She called out sick. Even visited Recovery Girl in the morning. I have the file right here," he glanced down at the stack of papers on his desk, "and I want to believe that it was only a cold - that's what the file says. But...you need to understand that if I do what I have to do - I will be putting all of my trust into you three. If there is even a sliver of a doubt in my mind that she _could possibly _be a traitor -"

"..You need to be one hundred percent certain that she is innocent."

Toshinori surprisingly looked at the boy, "p-precisely. That and if I do what I am going to do - it would take her completely off of the Committees radar."

Izuku sighed, long and hard, "I...understand..." he took a shaky breath in, "you would be breaking the law by doing this, you _need _to be certain."

Toshinori nodded.

"Then...what...is your plan?"

Toshinori was nearly surprised by the boys lack of reaction - but he simply chalked it up to his ability to hold back. It possibly could be because he simply had run out of energy to get as mad as he was before, he couldn't blame him. "We need to accuse her of being a traitor."

This time the boy reacted, he stared directly into All Might's eyes - a gaze full of confusion.

"Why?"

"We need to present her with a situation that leaves her no choice but to tell the truth. That's why I need your help Young Midoriya. I need you here, and I need you to act upset. Act like you've seen evidence of her being the traitor and are utterly destroyed by it. That way she has no other option but to tell us...and if she doesn't confess we'll know to trust her."

Toshinori could tell that the boy was contemplating saying no. This was going to be hard - not only for Izuku. He would have to refrain from comforting her or sticking up for her when he accuses her. When she denied it he would have to say silent - even if she asked for help or confirmation.

"I'll do it..." Izuku bit his lower lip to reel in his anger, "On one condition, we apologize after she is cleared and let her know of everything that is happening. No more secrets - nothing that will jeopardize our trust."

Smiling, Toshinori nodded firmly, "Of course. I was already planning on it."

"Ok...what do you need me to do? Where should I sit? What should I say?"

"Nothing - that chair over there," he pointed to a chair near the window on the other side of the room, "Sit in it. Look upset like I said, it won't be hard, just think about how this whole thing is upsetting you anyway."

Nodding, Izuku ran a hand through his hair and sighed, "alright."

"What I'll do is bring them inside. Then I'll hit a button on my desk that locks down the windows and door - and I'll explain how I have evidence that she is the traitor. From there I'll keep pushing for a confession until either she confesses or doesn't. If she doesn't give in after a while, we'll know to trust her."

"Sir," Izuku raised an eye brow, "What about Bakugo? If he is cleared why not tell him this as well?"

Toshinori rubbed the back of his neck, "To be fair we very well could, but I'd rather not. It would be more convincing if he didn't know either - and honestly there was another reason I wanted to speak to you alone. There is the small matter of creating a convincing argument for their absence when we clear them."

"And you want my help coming up with that argument?"

"Well, yes. You see - your classmates need a good reason as to why all three of you will be gone. We can't give them any reason to suspect you three are doing something shady. The quirk that will be used on them will make them say anything that they are keeping a secret. So it has to be public, and you have to make it convincing as possible."

"...I see," Izuku's head tilted down, and the muttering began. Toshinori almost made a comedic comment, but the situation didn't allow for him to make those sorts of jokes. He knew this was how his student did his best thinking, no use in stopping that. Especially after his outburst earlier - now was not the time to tease the boy.

After a solid minute of Izuku going over every possibility, his head shot up, "Do you think the gala you and I would be going to would allow another plus one?"

Toshinori frowned, "Unfortunately no. The only extra guests we would be able to bring would be a date."

Izuku hesitated for a second, but then continued, "I could...take Uraraka."

The older man's eyes widened, "Would you be okay with that?"

"..Ya of course, she's my best friend. I'm...just thinking since some of our classmates tease us sometimes that it would make a lot of sense. But let's not worry about that for now - for Kacchan. I think it would be best if he simply did something along the lines of visiting his mother. If he is linked to the hero gala as well, people would start wondering why all three of us are going to this dinner. With me and Uraraka we could convince them it was a date so it would be believable."

Smirking at the boy, Toshinori nodded in agreement, "That sounds good to me - I al-"

"Does the the committee have a full list of the students at the school?" Izuku asked cutting the man off.

"Well, I was bout to say that we were actually supposed to send that information tonight," Toshinori curiously gazed at the boy, "What about it?"

"Well, I was thinking if it were possible - maybe we can accidentally leave off Kacchan and Uraraka's names from that list. That combined with telling the class that Uraraka and I will be attending the gala - and that Bakugo is visiting his mother, it will make _sure _that there is no questions asked."

The former hero smirked, "I like your way of thinking. In fact, I had already thought of that - I was planning on doing something similar tonight."

"If we can do that, then we can move those two outside of the school without the public safety committee knowing," he bit his lower lip, "do you really think the school would allow you to do that?"

Toshinori sighed, "I would say there is definitely a possibility, earlier most of the teachers were very...vocal...about their disdain for this man coming to our school. Aizawa was actually one of them."

Smirking, Izuku stood up from his chair, "If we can do that - then we can get them out," his smirk slowly dropped, "but first, we need to clear Uraraka."

Toshinori nodded, and Izuku moved to the chair setup near the window of All Might's office. Watching as his idol let his best friends in, his eyes glanced over their faces. They looked incredibly nervous. He didn't blame them. He was as well - but if there was one thing he learned from his time at U.A, it was redundant to let his fears take over him.

Actually, Uraraka taught him that.

He plastered a cold look on his face, trying his hardest not to show any emotion. Maybe this was going to be harder then he thought.

"You two can come in now," Toshinori motioned for them to step inside the office, trying his hardest to hide his uneasiness. This wasn't going to be easy. As the two sat back down, he looked to Bakugo, and then to Uraraka. This was going to be a disgusting act of lying. But it had to be done.

* * *

Ochako didn't really know what to expect when she walked into the office. Her and Bakugo weren't exactly chit-chatting in the hall, so there was no vocal exploration as to why Deku and All Might were speaking alone. But when a scowl never before seen by Bakugo or herself appeared on All Mights face. The usual up-beat and positive man turned into a cold, hard, and unforgiving monster. All with one look - It shook her to her core. The blood-lust radiating from him was enough to make her shake.

Confusion was the only word she could use to describe it. To describe how she was thinking. Well, she was already questioning everything walking into the room. Seeing Deku in the corner, not to mention the screams she had heard in the hall with Bakugo. She hadn't been able to make out what it was about - but it was something serious. And the one screaming was definitely Deku. The look of disdain on their teacher's face was unsettling. Like he had flipped a switch - it seemed to come natural to the man, not something Ochako would expect from their usual happy go lucky teacher. She pictured him as a comedic, light-hearted, and overall kind role model. But what she was seeing now was something completely different. Like a mask had been ripped off - or better yet put on.

A long sigh came from the man - and an even longer moment of silence came after. The tension in the room was uncomfortably high. That tension seemed to break however, when their teachers sunken eyes shifted down, and his hand quickly slammed a button on his desk. In the blink of an eye, metal had covered the office's windows - and the door had been sealed shut by an iron barrier.

Ochako immediately panicked, scanning the room frantically until her eyes landed back on to the man in question. Bakugo shared a similar reaction - also finding himself staring towards their teacher. All Might sat still, his arms rested on his desk, while his eyes were still shifted down.

She did not like this, "...All Might?" she called - her voice tiny, hardly audible.

Bakugo snarled, "What the hell is going on?!" His voice projected throughout the room with a commanding tone. In direct parallel to Ochako's, garnering a reaction out of the former pro.

Yet another sigh escaped All Might's lips, before he directed his voice towards the fellow blonde, "Bakugo, I am going to need you to stay quiet for a while."

Her eyes darted back and forth from All Might to Bakugo. She watched as the younger of the two uncharacteristically shut his mouth - while the older moved his attention back to her. Now, this was freaking her out. The whole atmosphere of the room was becoming grim, and all she could focus on was All Might. His voice, it sounded...distraught. Like he didn't want to continue speaking the way he was, _acting_ the way he was. Ochako watched as his gaze shifted to her, "S-Sir?" she asked with a bit of fear.

"Ochako Uraraka..."

Confusion filled Uraraka's mind once more, _her full name? Why was he acting like this?_ She frantically looked towards Deku, only to find that he wasn't even looking at her. He was simply staring at the metal covered windows. As if he wasn't even paying attention. She glanced over to Bakugo, who wore a look of even deeper confusion then her. Finally, they shifted back to her teacher. Before she could ask any more questions, his voice spoke once more.

"...I know who you really are."

...

_What was he talking about? Know who I really am? _The voice in her mind whispering to her that this entire situation seemed sketchy, suddenly began to shout, "I don't know what you're talking about sir..."

"Really?"

The fists once laying calmly on his desk tightened, and his disdain turned into an anger-filled frown. His eyes widened, and he stared deeply into her soul, "I know you are a traitor to U.A."

..

...

..._huh_?

...a..._traitor_?

Her heart pounded, loud enough for her to hear it bouncing around in her head. She could already feel the tears brimming her eyes and her shoulders beginning to shake, "_What?!" _She exclaimed, refusing to believe that he seriously thought her to be a traitor. Whatever was happening, it felt wrong. It was like she was dreaming.

"Do not deny it." All Might sounded angry, "We have proof! Hard evidence that shows you told the League of Villains about the USJ trip!"

Ochako rapidly stood up, her hands coming down on the desk in shock, "I have no idea what you are talking about! Please list-"

Out of nowhere, All Might launched out of his chair as well and slammed his hands on the desk. She moved back in fear, Bakugo even jumped at the sudden explosion from the frail man.

"Do not _lie _to me, Uraraka I know _everything! _So save us the trouble and confess already. It's the _least _you can do for Young Bakugo and Midoriya." All Might demanded, refusing to listen to her pleas.

"W-What? I..." Ochako stammered back, the tears in her eyes starting to fall, "Please sir I have no idea what-"

Cutting her off, Bakugo stood up in his chair as well. The entire room fixated on him, "All Might, do you really think round cheeks could do something like that?"

The teachers eyes shifted to the smaller blonde, a look of fury mixed with pain shot through - "I thought I told you to stay quiet."

Bakugo was immediately taken back, "W-What the hell is all this?! Deku! Come on..." Bakugo looked towards Izuku, and only saw the boy flinch slightly and tighten his fist, "What the fuck..." The boy stammered, falling back into his seat and widening his eyes to a confused glare.

Ochako glanced towards the boy, sending a silent thank you before regaining her focus. "All Might!" She called, gathering the mans attention once more, "You _have_ to believe me, I would never betray U.A!" She regained some of her voice and this time moved towards her teacher, "Show me the evidence! I'll disprove it!" This was starting to get ridiculous. It was like everything she said simply didn't matter. She glanced back to Bakugo - thanking the gods that she wasn't alone in her confusion.

"It's not something you can _simply _disprove Uraraka!" All Might was essentially yelling at the girl now, "The Heroes Public Safety Committee is already on its way to arrest you! Just confess and explain yourself - maybe your jail time will be less if you can just explain to us _why? __Why _would you do it?!"

_W-Why?_

The anger gathering inside herself began to dissipate, and she could feel wetness dripping on to her face. It was definitely her own tears, no doubt in her mind. This whole thing was a mess - she...was getting arrested now? They hadn't even shown her evidence, or _anything_! _She knew she was innocent, so what do they have that proves she's guilty?! _The tears running down Ochako's face hadn't stopped, and as she took in everything All Might was saying - she began to shake. Her head shook back and forth, her tears became full blown sobs. She couldn't understand any of this - what the hell was happening?

"P-Please," her face had contorted with her crying - her mangled sobs became hard to understand, "Please b-believe me!"

She backed up, feeling completely cornered. On one hand Bakugo sat dumbfounded, in complete shock. While All Might, still standing behind his desk, stared her down. It was like he was looking into her mind - it was completely terrifying. Her hands came up to her head, holding it in place as she slowly crouched to the ground. She had no clue what to do anymore, where was Deku?

"P-Please! Deku!" She looked to him, still sitting in the corner, "Y-You have to-to believe me! I would never betray U.A...please..."

* * *

He couldn't hold himself back anymore. When she called out his name in desperation, he turned. And in the split second that he looked at her, their eyes met.

He watched as all the anger, confusion, and fear that was present in Uraraka's eyes radiated towards him. Her chestnut eyes, they looked terrified. Absolutely _horrified. _That wasn't toga. That was Uraraka. And Uraraka was _not _guilty. He felt stupid even going through with this - the tears on her face were enough to tell him that. Within that moment, staring at his best friend. Seeing her _scared_.

Izuku broke.

"All Might..."

All Might broke his character as Izuku called out to his teacher. The tone in his voice almost frightened the man. It sounded angry, and as he turned around towards the boy he knew fears were right. The blood-lust emitting off of him was enough to make All Might physically stammer back. Out of nowhere, the green haired boy shot up - his chair flying out from under him. His fists clenched at his sides. A long shiver ran down the teacher's back.

Before he could say anything - a loud sob came from Uraraka. It was broken, filled with fear, she too had broken. If his eyes could get any wider they would have, but Izuku lost it watching her - alone - helpless. _He should have never done this._

Izuku's teeth gritted against each other, and before he knew what he was doing, he screamed - "**That's **_**enough!**"_

One look in Izuku's eyes and anyone could tell that he was serious, serious enough to command _All Might _like that. Serious enough for All Might to listen.

Realizing that there was no further need to question Uraraka, Toshinori sighed - and within a few seconds he had collapsed back on to his desk chair. The man was was disappointed in himself, however necessary it was - it still felt terrible making his own student break down like that. He even made his own pupil explode as well - again - this entire ordeal made him sick to his stomach.

Izuku breathed heavily, his eyes darting back to Uraraka. She was still crying, completely confused and basically collapsed onto the ground. This was all too much - they had taken it too far. "Uraraka!" He rushed to her side and brought her into a small embrace, "It's ok, you're fine! The whole thing was just a test, I'm so sorry!"

She melted into his arms, looking up at him with complete confusion, "W-What?! What - do you mean - a test?" Her breathing was spurratic, and Izuku's mind went straight to the worst case scenario. _She might be having a panic attack._

He knew them all too well, and this looked awfully familiar. He clung to her tightly as her breathing picked up - and he realized she was hyperventilating. Grabbing her hand, he squeezed it hard and pushed her into his chest even further, "Slow down your breathing, ok? Please, just follow me, in, and out, in, out." As he continued her pace slowed, and she cried small thank you's into his chest.

Izuku's eyes traveled to All Might, who looked like he was about to throw up. "All Might..." he called. Izuku wanted an immediate apology, he never knew he was going to go that far with it._ What the fuck! Who knew his idol could be so...so...menacing._

Toshinori stood up in a flurry, the disgusted look on his face still hadn't left, and before anyone knew it, he was on the ground in front of Uraraka. "Young Uraraka, please...forgive me," he bowed his head begging her to accept his apology, "You're not a traitor, I made it all up to test you. I needed to see if you were really on our side."

The tears from Uraraka's eyes were beginning to slow, and her breathing was starting to stabilize. She still leaned into Izuku's chest, almost scared to leave him, "A-All Might...that was all a lie? You don't have any evidence proving I'm a traitor?"

"Of course not," Toshinori winced at his own actions, "but-"

"But that means-" Uraraka half yelled, cuffing off the former pro, "You had genuine reason to suspect I wasn't trustworthy!"

Izuku watched as the girl shifted out of his embrace, and now looked towards him with a similar accusatory gaze, "and you...Deku you _knew?"_

He flinched at her observation - he felt terrible. He didn't think that All Might would have pushed her so far, or that she would have broken down like that. But he still went through with it - he still agreed in the end.

The boy leaned down and bowed his head, "I am _so _sorry Uraraka."

A light smack to his shoulder was enough for him to raise his head, where Uraraka was looking at him with a saddened expression, "I don't want your apology Deku, I just..." She wiped the fresh tears forming in her eyes, trying her hardest to keep her composure, "I want to know why? What was your reason for thinking I could be a possible traitor?" Her eyes looked directly into his, and she whispered, "I thought...you trusted me."

"I _do_ trust you!" Izuku launched back down into the ground, his head nearing the floorboards, "I trust you more than anyone Uraraka-"

"This wasn't Young Midoriya's doing," All Might once again spoke up - he now raised his head and stared at the confused girl, "It was mine. Because there is something that needs to be done where I need to completely know you three are safe and on our side. And with Toga attacking you I needed a definitive answer as to if you were really you."

Toshinori sighed lightly as he stood up and extended his hand to her, "Young Midoriya didn't want to do this. I forced it, I needed to be completely sure. So please, do not blame him and blame me instead."

She hesitated, before taking the hand and standing up alongside him. After a brief pause, Toshinori slowly walked back to his desk, motioning for the two teens to follow him. As he sat down, he noticed Bakugo once again. He was sort of, shell shocked, "Young Bakugo," he sighed and then looked into the boys eyes, "I am sorry as well. For raising my voice and keeping this from you."

Bakugo simply nodded, ever so slightly before speaking up, "Th-That was _fucked_."

* * *

"So, besides Toga attacking me, the reason you couldn't completely trust me was because I was absent the day before the USJ?"

Toshinori nodded, "And I needed to trust you with every fiber in my being, so once again I am sorry but it was necessary, I needed to test if you were on our side, if there even the slightest of possibility that you could have betrayed us - it would have been catastrophic."

The thin former pro had already un-locked his office, opening the room to the natural light of mid-day. The teens had calmed down, Uraraka in particular was being very understanding. Izuku, not so much, but he held back his anger and concern. It wasn't the time.

"I understand completely sir," Uraraka scratched the back of her head, "If what you're saying is true - then it must be very important to have our complete trust."

"Precisely," he looked to Izuku, "Young Midoriya, would you like to explain the situation?"

He nodded, still a little shaken from the experience, "Of course." Izuku had been expecting this - All Might had a habit of pushing these sorts of things on to him. He remembered how he had made him explain One for All to Uraraka - it was his own way of training him for the future. When All Might wouldn't be around. He looked to Uraraka and then Bakugo, "Our entire class is prime suspects in being the U.A. traitor."

As he explained the situation further to his friends, their reactions were very similar to his. Anger, confusion, and overall - they didn't believe it. Bakugo sounded a little sure of himself, especially when he exclaimed how he had been thinking about this earlier. Of course, Izuku remembered the conversation - Bakugo had been right. They really _were_ suspecting their class as traitors.

Uraraka seemed less shocked and more upset - similar to how Izuku reacted. She did not like the idea that the school thought all of their best friends could be traitors. She _did _believe it more however when he said the Public Safety Committee were the accusers - not the school.

"So the plan is for All Might to pull some strings and remove your two names off of the class's record. So when the committee gets a hold of it, they won't know that you two are even apart of the class." He shared a small look towards Uraraka, just to gauge her current feelings. It was hard to talk normal like this when she had just been breaking down on the floor. The guilt he still felt on the whole thing was still, very, prevalent.

"What about you Deku?" Uraraka chimed in, seemingly fully calmed down and stable from her small breakdown. Izuku knew better of course, but he would go along with her. It was obvious she wasn't comfortable being completely real in front of All Might and Bakugo, he would have to talk to her later.

"All Might cleared me by his word...and taking me to the National Hero Gala. That's another thing Uraraka..." Here came the awkward part.

"Hm?" She leaned in closer to the boy causing his face to light up, "What is it Deku?"

"We uh," Izuku pulled on his collar, his face quickly becoming flushed. He had almost forgotten about this - the fact that they would have to be each-others dates. Of course it didn't bother him, and if he had to guess it didn't bother her either, but the idea of them _dating _was a bit much for him to handle. "We have to go...as a couple..."

Her face lit up almost as fast as Izuku's did, and she immediately shot back into her chair, "Uh...Uh...W-Why?" She wasn't particularly upset about it - but the notion was rather sudden. That and she had just gotten back to a state of normalcy with him - she had a big feeling that things might go back to how they were after the closet situation now.

Of course Izuku immediately thought the worst. His mind threw out their previous "close-calls" - such as the closet, their various sleeping accidents, or even their impromptu training session fails. Instead, he snapped to the idea that Uraraka was not interested in him like that. It made the most sense - and now he felt extremely self conscious about this entire thing.

All Might recognized the growing tension and stepped in, "Well - we needed a good excuse as to why you three will be absent from the lock-down. And the only way either me or Midoriya could have another plus one, is if it is in the form of a date." He talked in a rather - testing tone. His eyes darting from each teen trying to gauge their reactions.

"Oh," Uraraka gulped and shook her head a little, "Alright then, it's not like anyone has to find out. We can just have a...um...friendship date! Right Deku?"

Even though he knew why she was doing this, just to escape the idea of being romantically involved with the likes of him; it still hurt him ever so slightly when she tried to shift the idea of them dating to a more platonic stance. Of course he _wanted _more, but pretending like that was an even a possibility was simply idiotic. In all reality the idea of a friendship date delighted Izuku, he didn't really feel like opening up the can of worms that was his feelings for Uraraka - but unfortunately the plan called for the exact opposite of what she proposed, "Actually Uraraka, we're going to have to convince the whole class that this is a real date..."

The blush on both teens face were very visible. Bakugo snickered at the show, while Toshinori internally cringed, "I'm sorry..." Izuku added before closing in on himself. This whole thing seemed so, forceful, he hated it.

Uraraka's eyes snapped up to Izuku's face, "N-No! Deku you don't have to apologize-"

Suddenly cutting the girl off - a loud chuckle could be heard coming from Bakugo, "Ah this shits going to be funny."

"Bakugo!"

"Kacchan!"

As he cracked up laughing, All Might smiled at the three teens, it was nice to see their bond was forming rather nicely. Thankfully his test from before didn't leave too much of a sour taste in their mouths. He supposed that real feelings were being hidden under masks - he knew the idea of a mask better then anyone. But for now - he would have to let it be. His real job came next.

As the blonde came down from his laughing high - he smirked again at the two teens embarrassed faces. He seemed to remember a crucial detail as he let his grin come down, "But wait," Bakugo looked to All Might once more, "What about me? What's gonna be my excuse for leaving?"

"You're going to be visiting your mother, at least that's what the class is going to think." All Might scratched the back of his head, him and his predecessor hadn't gotten that far earlier - but in retrospect it wouldn't be that hard to come up with an excuse. "In reality you'll be coming with us to the gala. Unfortunately you won't be able to attend - but you'll stay in the hotel with us."

Cracking a smile, the explosive blonde leaned back in his chair, "That's a relief! Getting all formal isn't really my thing anyway, especially after that island cluster fuck." Bakugo wasn't lying - their trip to I**-**Island was definitely a mess.

"You three are going to have to deal with figuring out how you will tell your class everything. Don't worry though, the school is planning on shutting down for a week before the lock-down so you'll have plenty of time to handle it. As long as you make your excuses as _realistic_ as possible. It needs to be completely believable."

"That's a relief," Izuku scratched the back of his head, "At least we'll have some time to relax before we're on the run from the entire Japanese government."

Ochako and Izuku shared a shaky laugh while Bakugo simply cringed at his words. The reality of what they were about to do, it was slow in hitting them. "This is going to be some risky shit huh?"

All Might silently nodded as he brought up yet another bunch of files from out of his desk, "Indeed it is, but for now you three should return to your dorms and leave the more grueling part to me. Hopefully the school will be understanding."

The three nodded as they stood up and moved to leave the office.

"Oh and Uraraka if you could stay behind for just a moment. I would like to speak to you privately."

Izuku and Bakugo walked through the door of the office while Uraraka stayed behind. She wore an uncomfortable gaze as she awkwardly stood in the middle of the office.

Toshinori sighed and stood up from his desk. He then walked over to Uraraka with a look of determination, "Young Uraraka. I wanted to apologize again. And...to let you know that I truly do trust you. I just..." he gazed to the left and bit down on his lower lip, "I have a heavy past that involves treachery. So I can be a bit paranoid when it comes to these things, I hope you can find it in your heart of forgive me."

He bowed once again and this time Uraraka spoke up, "No. All Might - I _do _forgive you. And I do understand - you had no choice. You _had _to be certain." She looked off to the side as the older man raised his head, "It was just a bit...scary. To go through that, but I'll be fine."

She _would _be fine. She _had _to be. Now, it seemed with these past few months her role as a hero and her duty as Deku's friend - they all mattered so much. She wasn't about to let anyone down.


	14. A White Lie

**Thank you for waiting so long in between chapters - and thank you for the overwhelming support I get on this series. I love writing it and I'm going to keep writing it for a long while. I'm planning a lot of things and Im trying my hardest to make each chapter around 7-10k words, it's taxing but for where I want to go with this story its what needs to happen. Unfortunately this might mean a bit long of a wait between chapters but the quality and length will be a lot better then usual. So thank you for the support - I am really loving it all and I appreciate it more than you know. Thx and enjoy!**

**Also - the thing about Iida's fuel being orange juice is actually real - look it up. It was in one of the guide books XD**

* * *

_Thats enough! _

_Had he really screamed that?_ It's not exactly something he was planning on doing when he first walked into All Mights office. Then again, he wasn't planning on doing many things in there. Finding out his class could hold a traitor, snapping on All Might, lying to Uraraka - that last one had definitely been the worst of all.

Lying to his best friend, making her cry. That was something he needed to make right. Sometime that day at least, he would need to offer a formal apology. He knew just how much their trust mattered to her, it mattered a lot to himself as well. From now on secrets aren't going to be a common occurrence between them - he didn't want them to be.

As he exited the office with Kacchan, he wondered whether or not she was alright. He had noticed how quickly she put up her mask, something he hadn't seen since the hospital. It worried him a great deal. He felt as if their relationship was on a constant see-saw, one moment they are as close as ever. While the next they are avoiding each other and acting awkward. His subconscious screamed that this show of mistrust would once again teeter their status back to the awkward side. But another part of him trusted the weight of their bond to keep them grounded.

"Ay Deku! I'm fucking talking to you." - _Oh Right, Kacchan. _He turned to his loud friend and saw that he looked completely exhausted. Emotionally of course - however Izuku would admit that it's rather hard to tell with him sometimes. It had gotten easier since they fought, Kacchan seemed to drop his guard around him a lot more often. But he definitely got the feeling that he wasn't completely fine after that show of All Might's harsher side.

He almost hesitated with his next words, "S-Sorry Kacchan. What were you saying?" Izuku definitely needed to break his habit of thinking too much. Especially when he was mid-conversation.

Looking forward, Kacchan stopped dead in his tracks. They were only a few steps away from the turn that would take them to the front entrance of the school. The hall winded rather pleasantly, Izuku always thought so at least. "I was saying that, ugh - never-mind..."

_Well, at least he hadn't missed something importa-_

"...but we need to figure out how we're gonna do this. All Might said that everyone needs to be completely aware of why we are gone. They also need to believe it." Kacchan reiterated.

A problem Izuku hadn't thought much on, to be frank he hadn't liked the idea of thinking on this one at all, "Y-Yah, that's something we definitely need to talk about." His hand came up to his face and he rubbed his eyes - he was also a bit exhausted, physically _and_ mentally at this point, "Maybe we could-" His words were cut off as he heard the noise of a door creaking open and shutting.

It was odd how fast Kacchan and him connected, because in the span of a few seconds - they had nodded to each other and agreed to talk later. He had walked off just like that. It was like he had known that Izuku was going to want to talk to Uraraka. Which was, in retrospect, scarily accurate. Shrugging off the weird energy, he turned around ready to face any backlash from Uraraka. He knew it was coming, he had been completely in the wrong - if anything he deserved some sort of lashing.

He desperately wanted to talk to her, but yet he found himself hesitating to speak. That nervous tendency was coming back, just like after they had almost kissed in the closet. He had worked so hard to fight past that lately, and right when had gotten over it - it came back. He quickly shook his head, worrying about too many things at one time was a recipe for disaster, "Uraraka! Um-"

_Dammit! He was slipping up. _He watched as her head, still pointed towards the ground, shook very lightly. He could tell she felt uneasy, not something he blamed her for of course. Looking at himself, he was a mess too. His jumbled thoughts were cut off, because following his observation, Uraraka had raised her head and smiled brightly. Tears still stained her cheeks, but he could tell that the smile was genuine. Something he was glad to see.

"You're okay?" He asked, with a knowing look. She breathed in through her nose before nodding firmly and tightening a fist in front of her chest, a clear sign that she had regained her strength.

"Let's not dwell on it - I understand why it happened and I don't blame you at all. I promise, okay?" Her loud smile shifted down to a softer grin, dropping her fist down to her side. He smiled back, glad that she was feeling better - and even happier that she didn't blame him. Maybe it was a little selfish to think that way, but obviously Uraraka could read him like a book. She had expected he would be blaming himself for this entire situation.

He knew this of course, because once they had started walking back to the dorms - she had told him. Exclaiming how she could always tell when he's putting the blame on himself, yet another habit he was reluctant to break.

_Was it really his fault though? _He would like to think that blaming himself for things was a noble quality - then again he _knew_ Uraraka would disagree. She would probably say something similar to - _'It's only noble if you were actually to blame Deku!' - _One would think that if he could conjure that line - he would recognize just how correct it was. But Izuku could admit that sometimes he was a bit of a moron.

_Scratch that - most of the time_.

Ignoring his mental image of Uraraka yelling at him - he went back to chatting with the girl in person. As they made their way back to their dorms, they talked more about the dangers of their upcoming mission. She had apologized for how she reacted to "dating" him - and he apologized as well. She had claimed that it was out of embarrassment, yet he couldn't help but think the worst of the situation.

_\- 'Like she would want to date plain old Izuku. "Best Buddy Izuku" - Embarrassment my ass' -_

Sure they were best friends, but frankly he thought she was way out of his league. "Please Uraraka-san, you don't have to pity me." He had said.

Izuku didn't seem to notice how Uraraka blushed and pouted at those words. Wanting nothing but to shut them down, but being too afraid to. Choosing to stay quiet and change the subject.

One thing he _did _notice however, was how much easier it was to talk to her when they were alone. They could even openly discuss the topic of them dating without shutting down their bodies to the overwhelming blush that used to be so common. The two had definitely come a long way since the beginning of the year. He would bet that if this conversation were to occur a few months ago - fainting would not be out of the realm of possibility.

Before he knew it - they had reached the front door of Heights Alliance. Without thinking too much about it, he held the door open for her. It was just a small gesture, but one Uraraka seemed to appreciate dearly.

"Thank you Deku." She walked through the door and he followed. Izuku supposed that it was a bit chivalrous to open doors for girls nowadays, but the notion wasn't that bad to begin with.

_\- I was being kind, courteous even, yeah -_

His eyes darted around the common area to find many of their friends. A few were chatting on the couch, a few over by the stairwell for whatever reason - but one that stood out to him was Ashido. He could practically feel her stare as Uraraka and him walked towards the kitchen. Them being somewhat close to each other was apparently enough to set off her "shipping" tendencies. _God how he hated those._

Out of their entire class Ashido was always the one most interested in potential relationships. He was pretty sure he had seen her stalking Hagakure and Ojiro before - well, stalking was a strong word. They were in the library and he spotted her looking at them studying together. The look in her eyes then, pretty much matched the look she had now. He inwardly sighed - hoping that she wasn't "shipping" Uraraka and himself now. It would only make his life that much harder.

"Hey Ashido, Hagakure - what's up?" Uraraka greeted, immediately migrating towards the middle island of the kitchen.

Izuku watched as she leaned over the side and started chatting with the two girls. Simply giving a nod, he walked over to the fridge looking for a drink.

_He hadn't even realized that Hagakure was there! _Well, she is invisible so it made sense. He swore her quirk was a lot more dangerous then anyone would think. The stealth capability she has is immaculate - he would have to add some notes to his page on her later that night. Maybe he could even talk to her about her costume, the gloves being black would actually make her stand out a lot less then she already does. In fact, he bet if he contacted Togata, he could get some information on which agency helped make his costume. Maybe if they took some of Hakagure's hair, they could make a costume that could turn invisible along with her. So she didn't have to be..._naked..._all the time...

He had _almost_ completely forgotten about that...

Shuddering and blushing slightly at the thought, Izuku smacked himself lightly to get back on track. As he opened and scanned the fridge, not being entirely sure of what he wanted, his mind lingered once again. This time, to their directions from All Might. _Make their excuses known and believable._ They'd have a week to do that. The notion that they would have to convince the entire class that he and Uraraka were dating popped into his mind, the blush that had left before was starting to become noticeable yet again. The entire class, thinking they were...together. Maybe Ashido's shipping would come in handy after all.

It must have been a few minutes, because the feint sound of laughter jolted him from his thoughts. "Hey Midori! You good?" It was Ashido, laughing along with Uraraka, Hagakure, and now Jiro - she must have joined them while he was spacing out.

Quickly grabbing a water bottle, he shut the fridge and made his way back towards the small group of girls. "Yah, sorry - was just spacing out a bit." He noticed that Uraraka seemed to be looking down in an embarrassed fashion, most likely Ashido's doing. It _was_ a bit odd however when he saw Jiro elbowing her and smirking a bit.

"Well duh! Anyways, we were just talking about you!" Ashido's eyes flickered to Uraraka and then back to him, "You were really close to beating Iida earlier huh?"

Clenching his fist, he pouted ever so slightly, "Yah. He really surprised me with how fast he has gotten. I'm gonna need to start training harder to keep up." Ashido quickly apologized for betting money against him - which he only shrugged off saying he would have done the same thing. He wasn't lying, truthfully, if he were to have bet on who would have won that race - he would have bet on Iida. Especially considering he had seen him drink an extra glass of orange juice that morning. Fueling up for some training no doubt, but it definitely came in handy during that race. He had found it especially odd how his engines ran off of orange juice, but once he found out that Ingenium, Iida's brother, also fueled with a type of juice - he realized it was just an odd quirk thing. Calling it odd wasn't very fair, all quirks were odd in their own right he guessed. Just look at his quirk.

After a few more minutes of mindless chatting, Izuku dismissed himself from the conversation. He had given some random excuse about needing to work on English homework that Present Mic had given out. Not _entirely_ a lie - he _was_ planning on doing the homework sometime that night, but he had more important matters on his plate. He still needed to talk with Kacchan and figure out what they were going to do about this entire situation. He would have invited Uraraka, but frankly he didn't think Kacchan would be comfortable speaking like that in front of her. He seemed to have trouble opening up to people in general, let alone Uraraka. If needed he would fill her in later, or maybe they could all meet up that night to discuss this. He would have to ask about that.

As he made his way towards Kacchan's dorm, he suddenly realized that he had never actually seen what his room looked like. Actually, did _anybody _from the class ever see what his room looked like?

Kirishima no doubt - but other then that he didn't think so. Kacchan was not one to open up to just anybody, he kinda felt a little strange just going and knocking on his door. Almost as if it was knocking down an invisible wall within their friendship.

That feeling was immediately personified once he had actually reached the door - the thought of him not even being inside crossed his mind, but he had realized that it didn't make much sense for him not to be. Kirishima was in the living room downstairs, and he hadn't seen Kacchan walk away from the dorms when he left. Maybe he was just making excuses based off of old fears. Taking a deep breath, he knocked on the door three times. It took a few seconds, with some feint rustling being heard, but Bakugo soon opened the door.

"H-Hey Kacchan." He greeted only slightly apprehensively. Izuku didn't really know what to think - his blonde friend seemed to be acting normally so far. A hard stare was all he had to go off of, which was not much.

Kacchan stood coldly for a second, before turning around and walking back into his room. Izuku heard him mumble something along the lines of '_get your ass in here.' _So he assumed that it was the right call to enter. _Hopefully_ it was the right call.

_\- Please let it be the right call -_

Upon immediate entry, he noticed how - shockingly plain his friends room was. _Plain_ wasn't the best word, more like - non-expressive. The walls were bare besides a few tack boards and a TV. His desk was painted completely black, and home work was clearly strung about on top of it. His bed was pushed against the wall opposite the desk - and his blanket was simply grey. That - and a dark area rug - was all that filled the room.

He didn't know what he was expecting, but this was something of a surprise. For some reason he had assumed that the walls would be painted pitch black, and loud explosive decor would be positioned everywhere.

"Ay - you done staring at my shit? We gotta figure out a plan."

_Oh right - he was in Kacchan's room, _Izuku realized. He turned around and quickly apologized. Kacchan simply ignored it, sitting on his bed and motioning for Izuku to sit on the desk chair. He quickly obliged.

The conversation started out pretty smoothly - Kacchan immediately brought up his own thoughts on his excuse. Apparently, it made zero sense for him to visit his mother the week _after_ they had off from school. In hindsight he was completely correct, but the mother idea was only a placeholder anyway. "So then, what do we use as your excuse?" Izuku asked, genuinely curious of his friends thoughts.

"I don't know, literally nothing makes sense at a time like this. Any sort of thing that I would choose to leave for is stupid cuz I can just go this week instead!" Kacchan replied, grabbing a fist full of blanket.

Perplexing, definitely perplexing_._ Now that he thought about it, the fact that the Hero Gala was around the same time as this lock down - it was lucky. Uraraka and himself had the perfect excuse. But this meant they still had a lack of one for their blonde headed friend. Realistically, what could Kacchan leave in the middle of the week for, right after a break from school? Nothing matched that description entirely. One thing was certain though, he could not _choose_ to leave.

"It's going to have to be something where _you_ can't choose the time, it needs to be out of your control..." Izuku pointed out, tapping the fabric of his pants with his index and middle finger, "since you _are_ 100 percent correct, it makes zero sense for you to leave school for a personal trip the week after we're off."

Kacchan, in response to this, leaned over and grabbed a notepad, he started to scribble something that Izuku couldn't see. However, in a few seconds he had taken his attention away from the pad and shifted it back towards Izuku, "So like, an emergency?"

Izuku simply nodded, a little surprised that he would be using a notepad in a situation like this. It...almost was something he himself would do.

"We also have to take in to account that Aizawa and the other teachers are gonna have to be convinced of this as well," Kacchan said, growling very lightly under his breath while simultaneously twirling his pen, "So I can't just make up some random shitty excuse for me to leave."

It was odd - almost like these small quirks and habits that Kacchan was finally showing off had been always present. Izuku just never noticed, he was too busy living in constant fear of him. Up until a few months ago, their last normal conversation was when they were still small children. Now, as he sat across from his friend, he realized how much of Kacchan he had let slip by. Who knew _Bakugo_ was one to twirl a pen? Or use a notepad just like himself? Even though this wasn't something he should be stuck on at a time like this - he couldn't help but enjoy the notion that he was learning more about his friend. His _friend. _He _still_ wasn't used to saying that.

But the problem was still on the forefront, what could Kacchan use as his excuse? He really liked the idea of it having to do with his parents. That paired with the fact that it cannot be a willing leave - it only left a few options. "I only see a few possibilities actually being able to work, the only problem is they are a bit far-fetched."

Tossing the small notebook back onto his desk, Kacchan fell back onto his bed in a rather lax manner, "What is it?" He asked.

Forming a small smile with his lips, Izuku also leaned back into the black swivel-chair, "We could fake an emergency with your parents. Maybe one of them got into a car accident or something, just...anything to make you _need_ to leave. Your mother being admitted into the hospital would definitely be a good enough excuse as to why you would up and leave for a week."

Kacchan swiftly agreed - putting forward the idea of him finding out the Sunday morning right before the lock down. It was a decent plan - Izuku would even call it foolproof if he hadn't wanted to jinx himself. Uraraka and him could ask All Might what time they would be leaving, but chances are it was Sunday. That would line everything up perfectly, and it would also mean they had an excuse for Kacchan.

After some careful consideration, he decided that texting All Might right then was the best plan. He didn't want any confusion whatsoever, and making sure that they knew all the details was a must. After sending out the text asking the man what day and time him and Uraraka would be leaving for the ball - he got back to discussing things with Kacchan.

"So, have you thought about what you're gonna do with Uraraka?" Kacchan asked, causing Izuku to pause rather abruptly.

He could feel the heat rushing to his face as his eyes darted down to his lap, "Uh, not really." Staying quite, he could practically feel Kacchan looking over at him with a scathing gaze. He could sense the judgmental tone radiating from his friend, but suddenly it all went away. Looking back towards him, he saw how Kacchan's face had softened.

"Listen, you really gotta calm the fuck down with her." He explained, leaning back once again, "You're worrying way too much."

He was almost taken back by the sudden mood change, but he realized that Kacchan was a close friend now, and a softer tone might be more common. Deciding to drop his guard for the time being, Izuku sighed, "How am I supposed to not worry? It's like..." He took a moment to compose his thoughts, realizing he was about to spill his feelings on Uraraka to Kacchan. But he realized that he probably needed to. It was like they were eating away at his psyche. So, he let it out.

"I'm in complete love with her, but at the same time she's my best friend." Izuku explained, letting out a shaky sigh, "On one hand, I don't want to change anything. What we have right now is perfect. But at the same time it's like I can't stop thinking about wanting more. "

He paused, waiting for him to say...anything. But he didn't, and so, Izuku continued.

"Part of me knows she doesn't want what I want. Why would she? She's completely out of my league. Yet things keep happening, I almost...I almost _kissed_ her and she never even brought it up again! She thinks I don't remember so she didn't bring it up! That _must _mean something right?"

A part of him wanted to stop, but he opened a gate that he couldn't close, "It's not like _I _brought it up - but I just thought that it would be easier for her if I didn't remember. She obviously didn't want to talk about it - so why should I? And if I did bring it up - it would only complicate things between us and I don't wanna ruin what we have. Then I go and pull that shit with All Might and accuse her of being a traitor? How messed up is that? And now we have to pretend to _fucking date!? _You saw how she reacted in All Mights office, there's now way she's comfortable with this, but of course it's the best option we have right now because I dragged her into my fucking mess of a secret!"

He could tell that he was on the verge of crying, so he buried his face in his hands. He apologized as he frantically wiped his un-spilt tears - but he could already hear Kacchan going, "Stop fucking apologizing already." So he followed his directions.

It took a minute, but soon he had calmed down. He honestly felt a little better after vocalizing all of his troubles - the weight that sat heavy on his shoulders seemed lessened. But he could tell Kacchan was about to give his own opinions on the matter. Not that he didn't want those opinions, but he knew they weren't going to be in a comforting tone.

"Deku, for someone so goddamn smart you don't think about things like you should," Kacchan sighed, sitting up in his bed and looking Izuku directly in the eyes, "All of the things your worried about are valid. I'm not gonna try and convince you that everything you're saying is bullshit. Cuz it's not."

Izuku leaned back in the desk chair, "Then what do I-"

"Let me finish!" Kacchan cut him off, getting up from his bed and walking over to his drawer. Izuku watched as he pulled out a tiny ball and started to squeeze it. It was a stress ball, he noted, and he once again watched as Kacchan walked back over and sat on his bed.

A sigh escaped his friends mouth once more, "You know, you have a lot of problems and it's really-" he stopped and squeezed the stress ball extremely tightly, before letting it go and allowing it to fall on his bed. Izuku eyed the small orange object, before snapping his gaze back over to Kacchan.

"Pink cheeks isn't a dumbass. She knew the risks about knowing the secret and she understood what those risks meant. Yah, it was super fucked up that you two cornered her like that. But it was something that All Might had to do and she understands that. She's not gonna hold a grudge on you for something was neither your idea or in your control. It had to be done."

Everything Kacchan was saying made, a lot more sense then Izuku thought it would have. He knew that Kacchan always respected Uraraka, on some level at least - considering their match at the sports festival. But to think that he had that much trust in her - well it wasn't shocking, but just slightly surprising, "I know that - I know she wouldn't hold a grudge."

"But you don't know if she's ok with this whole dating shit, right?"

He timidly nodded.

"You love her, that much is obvious - you just belted it." Kacchan said, causing Izuku to cringe at his own out burst, "but you're worried that she doesn't feel the same way. So in turn your afraid that she wouldn't be comfortable doing this with you."

"Exactly." Izuku confirmed, scratching the back of his head, "I don't want to force her to do something she isn't comfortable with."

"Like I said Deku," Kacchan picked up the orange stress ball and tossed it at Izuku's head, "She knew what she was getting into when she agreed to hear the secret. Even if she isn't comfortable with it - which I doubt - she's prepared to put up with it."

Izuku caught the ball a few inches away from his forehead, immediately tossing it back, "Ok then, even if I don't worry about that how am I supposed to get passed these feelings? She obviously doesn't like me."

Kacchan caught the ball and almost fell back from his chuckling, "Deku your such a fucking idiot you know that?"

Glaring at his friend, Izuku scoffed to the side, "Care to explain why?"

"You're not thinking like she is." Kacchan explained, "She may be out of your league but there's a reason I call her Pink Cheeks. It's cuz she's always fucking blushing whenever you're brought up."

"Ya but that's...different." He replied, looking down once more. Kacchan was starting to make too much sense in all of this.

"How? Listen I'm not gonna tell you if she likes you or not cuz frankly I really don't know - but the reason she hasn't brought up you almost kissing her isn't because she don't want to be with you or some shit. It's cuz she is thinking the same way you do." He paused for a moment, and Izuku watched as he rubbed his eyes with his hand, "She also doesn't wanna ruin anything - you two are best friends right? Why would she want to change that? Whether she has feelings for you or not she doesn't want to complicate shit the same way you don't want to."

It, all made sense now. Izuku could feel his eyes widening at the realization. Uraraka didn't want to change things, she didn't want to ruin their friendship, if all made so much sense. No wonder she didn't bring up the kiss, no wonder she got all weird when they brought up their fake date.

Of course, this was all under the assumption that Kacchan was 100% correct. Which, was not the most probable outcome. But Izuku realized that it didn't matter if it was perfect, it was enough. He would allow himself to believe it - it would give him enough leeway to put aside these feelings, or at the very least put them on hold.

"You know, it might have something to do with her own goal too." Kacchan pondered aloud, causing Izuku to snap from his thoughts and give a, "Hm?"

"If she _does_ have feelings, I wouldn't put it past her to just shove them down, she probably wants to focus on being a hero too."

That was a very good point. He once tried to do the same thing, realizing that his role in society would be greater then his own desires. But that proved useless. It only made him lose focus on his training and eventually he decided learning to live with the feelings and accept them was, just easier.

"Yah, I tried to do that myself," Izuku explained, "That's a big reason I haven't told her my feelings yet, aside from my own fears, I didn't want to hold her back - or myself for that matter."

"See?" Kacchan took the orange ball and tossed it perfectly in his drawer, "You two probably think a lot a like-"

His words were cut off by a buzzing from the desk next to them, it was Izuku's phone. Quickly grabbing it, Izuku saw that it was All Might responding to his question from earlier. He saw that they were in fact going to be leaving Sunday, and they would be taking a train to the airport around 5:30 in the morning. He promptly relayed the info to Kacchan, who hummed in agreement.

As the two finished up their plans, they finalized everything. Kacchan would get a call on Saturday in front of everyone in the living room, and everyone would find out that his mother was in a car accident and in the hospital. He would then confirm with Aizawa sensei that he would be out of school for the next week - and if All Might got through to Aizawa then it won't be an issue.

From there he would leave on a train Sunday morning, the same train that Izuku, Uraraka, and All Might would be on.

Izuku and Uraraka would have the night to figure out how they would convince the class they were going to the gala together. In fact, as he was leaving the room, Kacchan left him with a few words of advice.

"Deku. Just, talk to her, ok? Stop bottling shit up inside and realize that she's your best friend for a reason. Not telling her how you're feeling is gonna make you have more problems in the future and we can't have that shit - not with what we're going to have to do in the next week or two."

Those words stuck with Izuku for the rest of the day. Kacchan made an incredible point - bottling up his feelings was not healthy. He knew this, and especially with such risky conditions, he could not be taking any risks himself. As the day went on, he pondered these thoughts. He was not about to risk the lives and safety of Uraraka, Kacchan, and his mentor over some feelings that he couldn't get over. It was stupid, she was his best friend. He shouldn't be so nervous to talk to her about this. Yet, he found himself hesitating to even text her - knowing that they would come face to face sometime that day. He, was afraid to face her.

Sitting on the light yellow couch, he tossed his phone back and forth in his hands. When he had came down to the living room earlier, he wasn't necessarily expecting this sudden lack of motivation. All he had to do was text Uraraka that they needed to talk. She knew it already, and he could tell that she was waiting for him to reach out first. She had to be in her room by now, it was practically dark out and the rest of the class was either hanging around or in their rooms as well.

But he still couldn't figure out why he was so...nervous. Maybe it was because he knew the next time he talked to her, he would be speaking some of his own feelings. Or maybe it's because he was afraid of those feelings being received poorly.

Either way, it eventually needed to happen.

After a few more minutes of him spacing out, he realized that he still hadn't showered from earlier. He definitely needed one, he had toweled off earlier but it was still inadequate for his own standards. A nice hot shower sounded amazing to him anyway, maybe it would help him clear his mind and find enough courage to talk to her.

He proceeded to rush upstairs, grabbing a clean set of clothes, a towel, and his special All Might soap his mom had bought for him that last time he visited. Izuku quickly made his way into the dorms showers, silently praying it was empty so he could feel a little more at ease.

His prayers were answered once he entered the spacious "locker room" of sorts. It wasn't that he disliked showering with the rest of the guys, he was very used to it by now. But the alone time was nice, he didn't feel any pressure by Iida to conserve the hot water, nor did he feel the need to join in on the random conversations that would take place. Most of the time it was about the girls so he didn't really feel comfortable anyways.

As he undressed, he stepped into the individual shower stall. He pulled the curtain shut and proceeded to stand under the hot running water. The beads of scorching liquid ran over his form, the heat stinging ever so slightly on his scarred arm, but the pain was welcomed. It was relaxing, soothing even. The callouses that riddled his body seemed to finally soften, and he could feel himself let out a huge sigh. Like a breathe he hadn't known he was holding - the relief was incredible.

Around 12 minutes had passed until he finally found himself leaving the stall. A towel firmly wrapped around his waist, he turned the corner to find non other then Kaminari - who was staring deeply into an open locker.

"Hey Kaminari, everything ok?" Izuku asked as he opened his own he semi-awkwardly began to change into his fresh clothes.

Kaminari scratched the back of his head, "Oh hey Midoriya, ya sorry I'm just trying to find my deodorant. I'm pretty sure Kirishima borrowed it but he said that he left it-"

Izuku heard him let out a small noise of joy before he reached into the locker and pulled it out, "Found it?"

"Yah!"

Having changed quite quickly, Izuku found himself walking out of the showers alongside his electric friend. He never really thought of Kaminari as a "close" friend, although he certainly enjoyed his company. His antics with Mineta could sometimes get out of hand, but he was definitely the more respectable one. Overall, he hadn't gotten the chance to get to know Kaminari all that much.

That one thought brought up his earlier discussions. The whole class were suspects to being a traitor. While he trusted all of his friends, that small voice in the back of his head told him to be weary of everyone.

As they made their way back into the living room, Izuku came to the realization that it had gotten late. The commons were empty, aside from himself and Kaminari. That put an idea into his mind. The two were alone, and he needed to seriously start to consider how he was going to sell the whole dating thing to the rest of the class. Sure, he should probably talk to Uraraka before doing anything drastic, but his mind had been firing with possibilities all day. Kaminari was definitely into the idea of dating and relationships. A little bit of light groundwork wouldn't hurt.

"Hey, Kaminari? C-Can we talk?" Izuku asked, leaning over the stark yellow couch in front of him.

The boy in question turned around, and in the process flopped back on to the opposite couch, "What's up?"

Hesitating, Izuku began to realize just how much harder this was going to be. Sure, in his head it sounded simple. Just tell Kaminari a little about how he wants to ask Uraraka out. Shouldn't be a problem. But as the words began to roll on his tongue, he could feel the heat rising to his face, "Uh, n-never mind, sorry."

"Oh come on man!" Kaminari widened his arms in a welcoming fashion, "I got you! Just tell me what's up, obviously somethings wrong."

His eyes darted around in search of anything that could get him out of this situation, unfortunately nothing came to mind. To be honest he _wanted _to say it, but he _couldn't_. He took a deep breath, realizing that the only way out of this situation was to suck it up.

"U-Um, ok. Let's say," he turned to the right, blocking Kaminari's view of his heated face, "a friend of mine wanted to...ask..._another _friend of mine out on a date. H-How-"

Before he could continue, Kaminari had leaped up and sprung over to the other couch. He leaned forward, completely into Izuku's space, and grinned devilishly, "Oh _really _now? A _friend _huh?"

He immediately panicked, an audible gulp escaped his throat, and his face somehow got even warmer. Izuku almost fell back, "W-What do you mean?!"

"Oh come on Midoriya, the old '_my friend needs advice' _trick! Everyone knows that!" Kaminari exclaimed, jumping over the couch, getting even closer to him before whispering, "Who is it? Uraraka...right?"

Izuku guessed his lack of response was enough to answer Kaminari's question, because soon enough the yellow bolt of lightning was beaming at Izuku with a smile that matched even Ashido's energy. Even though the situation was going nearly exactly how he wanted it to go, he couldn't help but stammer back at Kaminari's invasive nature. The heat in his cheeks only grew stronger as his friend pried further into the situation.

"Where do you wanna take her? When'd you know you liked her? Dude you gotta tell me!" Kaminari exclaimed, grabbing Izuku's shoulders and shaking them violently.

"W-Woah Kaminari, calm down!" Izuku exclaimed, leaning back to try and escape his grasp.

_'Now Kaminari was really sounding like Ashido'_

Kaminari's face suddenly froze and changed from an overly excited smile, to a look of realization. He quickly backed away and cringed at his own attitude, "My bad man, sorry...haha, that was a bit crazy of me."

"I-It's ok, I just... never thought you'd be so interested in the d-details." He explained, scratching the back of his head. He chuckled nervously as his mind sprinted in circles trying to figure out what to do next. He knew what he _should_ do, but it was going to be embarrassing. Realizing that there was no alternative that could lead to a better scenario came soon enough. For a split second, Izuku took a deep breath, and decided to rip the band aid off.

"I...I was invited by All Might to the National Hero Ball in America and I'm allowed to bring a date!" Izuku all but screamed, closing his eyes tight and waiting for the repercussions of his words. It was oddly silent at first, but when he slowly opened his eyes, he found Kaminari beaming at him.

"Dude, you have no idea how _awesome_ that is! The National Hero Ball!? That's only like the most prestigious event for heroes in the world!" Kaminari exclaimed, "And you wanna take Uraraka? That's so great!"

"Y-Yah I know!" Izuku said trying his hardest to sound as enthusiastic as him. It wasn't that he didn't know how amazing that all was, but it just... freaked him out a bit on how "un-phased" Kaminari was.

Izuku watched as Kaminari seemed to contemplate something for a brief moment. He scratched the back of his head before looking up back at him, "Man...to be honest, I probably shouldn't say this. But you told me something as personal as that - and I feel like I can share this with you now. Um...the reason I was so excited before is because me and Jiro have been kinda...together."

_Wait..._

_..._

_..._

_..._

_WHAT?!_


	15. Like you mean it

**Kind of a big chapter? Well, there's a slight turning point for Deku's character here that I think a lot of ya'll will love. This was such a nice chapter to write - I promise the next one wont take as long as this one did. Hope you all enjoy! **

* * *

The room was darker than usual, it was late - around 10:00 at night, and the bright light that liked to shine in through the windows was long gone. A twilight purple filled half of the room, the other half filled with near complete darkness. Principle Nezu sat in a cascade of that darkness, while Toshinori stood in the purple, silently praying that his next actions would work out. Chances are they wouldn't.

"I have a favor to ask." Toshi explained, standing firmly in front of the oak-wood desk. His shoulders tended slightly at the eerie silence that followed his words.

You see, he had a plan. And for it to work, Nezu _needed_ to be in on it. Changing direct school files was not in his directory, there was an entire branch of staff at U.A. who's sole purpose was to organize every piece of information that was needed. But he needed to change the files, to remove young Uraraka and Bakugo's name from the Class 1-A logs. Or to at the very least make it so the Public Safety Committee wouldn't be alarmed at two more students suddenly missing. Just as he had protected Midoriya a day earlier, his other two prized students would be next.

Nezu was aware of One for All. Well, he knows of the passing down of a quirk from generation to generation. It's been like that for a while, ever since he joined U.A. as a teacher. He had let him know of his scouting of a successor - of course it was the original reason he had come to U.A. He is not as _in _on the secret as others - but he knew of its existence, and that young Midoriya was the student he picked to continue its legacy.

With that knowledge, and Nezu's apparent hatred of the Committee - he was able to convince him to make it seem like Midoriya dropped out. With his performance at the sports festival, it wasn't hard to convince the committee that the kid simply could not continue with a quirk as self endangering as his. There was plenty of other risks that would need to be handled - such as the hero agencies that had taken Deku and public appearances since the hero festival. Thankfully the principle was able to pull some strings, with his incredibly IQ it wasn't hard. Nezu understood that if the secret got out, it would put the child in danger. Which was Nezu's top priority, keeping the children out of harm. He just hoped that his priority could carry over to his other two cherished students.

"A favor huh? Do tell Toshinori." Nezu responded, picking up his cup of tea and sipping it lightly. The noise of the steaming liquid sloshing in the small cup was impossible to ignore - almost as if it was intentional.

Taking a deep breath, he started to explain, "Just like Midoriya, if Ochako Uraraka and Katsuki Bakugo of class 1-A are questioned, the secret of one for all will be revealed."

Watching carefully, he saw how Nezu paused for a slight second. Almost as if he choked on his tea. Just as soon however, he placed the cup down and cleared his throat. "You mean to tell me that _two more students _know of the secret? Since when?_" _

The harsh bite at the end of each word was unsettling to Toshinori. Nevertheless, he expected it - and he was fully prepared to respond appropriately. "They have known for a while, but that's not the point here. They _need _to be ensured just like Midoriya if this secret is going to _stay_ a secret. These children will be put in danger Nezu."

"You know Toshinori, you're a great teacher. You really care for your students - but thinking these things through is very important and you seemed to have completely disregarded that," Nezu stood from his desk and walked over to the lighter half of the room - he stared out the window, "Did you not take into consideration Bakugo won the sports festival? Or that Uraraka was one of the most looked at students during duels? We got away with Midoriya because of his quirks self harmful nature but those two can't simply just disappear."

He had a point. A good one at that, but Toshinori was prepared for this. It's not like he hadn't thought of these things prior. "I know and I understand. But I have a way we can get around that."

"Well please, do tell." Nezu quickly responded - his eyes narrowing ever so slightly.

"Their already not big concerns to the committee. Bakugo was quite literally kidnapped by the league of villains, so he has no plausibility of being the traitor. Uraraka on the hand is a bit different - she was attacked by Toga in the hospital a few weeks ago, meaning the committee would usually be on high alert with her. Given the chance that she could be a fake, they would check her first thing. But here's where Aizawa comes into play."

"Aizawa? What does Eraser-head have to do with this?" Nezu asked patiently. Watching his gaze, it was almost as if he knew exactly where Toshinori was going with this. It wouldn't surprise him, Nezu's thinking ability is near unparalleled. He might have already devised a plan for this entire situation.

"We have Aizawa get in on the plan. His word will go far with the committee as he already worked with them before. He is also their home room teacher, and if we can set up a lie where both students are accounted for by Aizawa and just happen to not be on the premises during the lock-down - it's possible to get away with it."

Of course, Nezu had a similar thought, his plan was much more laid out however. Thankfully the abnormally smart animal had agreed to help Toshinori out. And so, over the next hour, himself and Nezu finalized their plans. Luckily, the principles hatred for the committee meddling in school business and accusing his students of treachery, even after _he himself_ concluded there was no traitor - was enough to score his help with sneaking the kids out. And once they called Aizawa into the office, Toshinori knew that it was going to work out.

He had spoken to Aizawa on multiple occasions, and not once before had he seen the man show notable worry. But once they had explained the plans - even after leaving out the context of one for all - Aizawa showed that fear for his students and accepted. Only leaving a few words behind before going back to his room in the teacher's dormitory.

"Take care of my students."

Toshinori promised Aizawa that he would. Not only that, but he promised _himself_ that he would. He might not be "All Might, the number one hero" anymore. But he was still Toshinori Yagi - and that meant something to the world. That meant something to the school. And that meant something to Izuku Midoriya.

He would do _everything_ in his power to ensure the safety of the future. The future of One for All. The future of U.A. But most importantly - The future that laid in the hands of young Bakugo, young Uraraka, and young Midoriya.

* * *

The chill of night was finally creeping up to him. Even with Heights Alliance's temperature control, the fall weather made the air sit a few degrees short of comfort. His fingers unconsciously fidgeted to keep from getting tight from the chill. And his breath became slightly faster as his mind played tricks on him.

"Come on Izuku! You can do this!" The student whispered, pacing back and forth in front of a very familiar dorm room. Who's dorm you may ask? Well, non other than the one and only Ochako Uraraka. Izuku, of course, had just experienced a _lengthy_ conversation with Kaminari, all starting with a giant bomb being dropped onto his head larger then the crater made by Overhaul back at the Yakuza hideout.

Kaminari and Jiro, were _dating!_

As far as he knew, they were the only couple of the entire class. And Kaminari somehow entrusted _him _with that information. Part of him wasn't sure that he would trust himself with that kind of info - but he guessed the knowledge of his "plans to date" Uraraka was enough. As Kaminari outed him and Jiro just like that.

Not that he blamed Kaminari or anything - but that information was _not _what he needed right now. Not only was he supposed to be planning something with Uraraka, but he had to juggle his own feelings on top of that. And now he had the added awkwardness of being the only person who knows this secret out of the entire class. "_And of course it's a secret about a relationship, the __perfect topic for his dilemma."_

The more the day went on, the more and more it seemed like the perfect storm was brewing. The perfect storm that would end with him shutting down all of his major bodily functions and just wiping out completely. Still though, even with the added stress, it _was_ quite the surprise to find out that they were dating, and apparently had been for a while. Such a surprise in fact, his reaction to the piece of information was even more startling.

* * *

_"_**WHAT**!? YOU AND JIRO ARE DATING!?_" _

_"MIDORIYA! CALM DOWN! SHE CAN PROBABLY HEAR US!"_

* * *

...Ya - he was more than a little shocked to find out two of his classmates were secretly dating. He was even _more_ shocked at how well they hid it. There were a few "obvious" pairs in the class, Todoroki and Yaoyorozu being the most evident. He still remembered the truth or dare session where Todoroki essentially confessed that he found Yaoyorozu the prettiest. (_Not that Izuku would disagree per say ...he just found another girl to be more beautiful)_

But he hadn't suspected Jiro and Kaminari at _all. _Sure, there was the obvious connection - being their electrical style quirks and all. Jiro controlled sound waves and had literal audio jacks hanging from her ears - while Kaminari controlled electricity. Thinking on it now from a different perspective - it was a very _clear_ connection. But Izuku never payed enough attention to the two, at least not to their actual friendship, to ever even assume that they were close like that.

Yet they were, Kaminari had detailed _plenty _of the two's "close calls" in their talk. He explained how they snuck off on small dates, and how they didn't let it get in the way of their hero training. That part in particular stuck with him, for reasons he didn't really know. But besides that, Kaminari insisted on giving him advice on how to ask out Uraraka. He remembered the story Kaminari had given on how he had asked Jiro out. Normally, Izuku would be hiding in his room completely embarrassed. But of course, his dumb mouth didn't shut - and he had told Kaminari that he was going to "do it" tonight on a whim. "Do it" of course meaning he was going to ask her out. That was quite possibly the worst mistake of his life.

Actually, his _worst_ mistake was probably texting Uraraka that they "had to come up with a plan ASAP." Because of _course _she told him to come to her room right then. _Of course. _

He stopped his pacing and took a deep breath, everything was perfectly fine. He was going to have to talk to Uraraka at some point that night anyway - might as well get it over with right then. The only problem was that he was going to have to somehow explain to Uraraka that he told Kaminari he liked her...

Suddenly, Izuku felt like _actually_ asking her out at this point was easier.

Kaminari had told him some pointers, "Be courteous, get her something she likes, and drive home the fact that you want to go with her, and not anyone else." He had said. Sound advice, he guessed, coming from a guy with a girlfriend it _must _be. At least, that's how a logical person would take that information. _Right?_

It_ sounded _like decent advice to him, but really, that wasn't very assuring. He was more than inexperienced when it came to anything that had to do with the female gender. Whenever something remotely embarrassing happened before, his body would sorta take over for him - and the result would be a stuttering mess.

Taking another deep breath, he decided that going into her room the way he was _now_ would be counterproductive. Conflicted, a little bit nervous, going in right now would only stall their actual goal of formulating a plan.

His mind began to linger on possible ways to get around these feelings. Finally, it landed on one. Maybe he could jokingly..._actually_...ask her to the dance. She would get a good laugh, and all the tension would be gone. An ice breaker, definitely a good plan. (Nothing that could potentially be taken the wrong way or anything)

Whipping out his phone, Izuku began to text Uraraka that he had to do something and that he would be there in a few minutes. She promptly responded, saying it was fine. That taken care of, he began to plan his "ice breaker"

He aimlessly walked down the hall thinking about the previously given advice. "Be courteous." He _could_ give her a little bow when she answered the door or something. It may be a bit too chivalrous, it's not like he's her knight or anything. But going with the joking nature of this gesture - he was sure it would get a laugh.

Next up was, "Give her something she likes." Now _that_ one might be tough. He didn't exactly have a lot of time to go shopping. Even if he _did_, anything he thought was something worthy of her would probably be deemed too expensive. She would be mad he spent money on her regardless of the price so that may be off the table.

He stopped walking once he reached the elevator doors, and glanced out the windows, down to the flower bed in the front of the building. "Flowers..." he wondered aloud. He _did_ remember her saying she always thought the flowers in the front of the building were pretty. Flowers could be a nice gift, a bit cliche but still...

He felt heat suddenly rise to his cheeks at the thought of giving Uraraka flowers. But, then he remembered that this whole thing was just an ice breaker, something to get her smiling, and to relieve the tension of the nature of the conversation.

He smiled warmly. Making Uraraka smile was something he should always be doing. As her best friend, it's his job to help her feel happiness when she's down. The past day definitely left her feeling less than happy. If _he_ had to go through what she had gone through, he was certain his mood would be anything _but _happy. Maybe this small gesture could help cheer her up. And even if it didn't, she might be able to laugh at his weak attempt of making a joke.

Activating One for All, he zoomed down the stairwell of the dormitories, and flew outside the main doors. Just as fast he left, he returned with a handful of white flowers, freshly picked. He smiled as he looked down at the bouquet, he was sure she would like them. Sure, they weren't the _best_ flowers. If he had the luxury of choosing, he would probably get something with more color, maybe roses or something similar. But he didn't have that luxury, and that made these flowers absolutely fine. Knowing Uraraka, he could get her a bunch of wilted black flowers and she would still be thankful. She was just that type of person.

A minute of walking and thinking later, and he was up by her door preparing to knock. Right before he did however - he thought of the final piece of advice. "Drive home that you want to go with _her, _not anyone else." Well, he _could _just say that. Maybe a little practice would help.

"I really want to go with _you_ Uraraka!" No, no, no..."I want to go with you! No one else!" Definitely not.

After playing around with a few more examples, he finally landed on one that he thought was decent. He took a deep breath and brought his hand up to knock on the door - but he froze. Hand in mid-knocking motion, other hand full of flowers, he froze.

'_Am I scared?'  
_

_Yes_. A little embarrassed as well, but mostly scared. Scared that their friendship wasn't in a place right now to be making "jokes" like this. That she would take it the wrong way. That she wouldn't get that he was joking, and think he was just being a weird asshole. Maybe now wasn't the time to joke about this.

Earlier that day, he had essentially cornered her with All Might about being a traitor - even though she had said she understood, a part of him didn't know if she truly did. If he was in her position, he would be completely messed up from that. But the thing is, Uraraka _isn't_ him. She's stronger than him, braver!

From an outside perspective, it looked a hell of a lot like they didn't trust her. It was ten times worse that they didn't give the same treatment to Kacchan. Of course, they explained all of this to her...but still. If he was in that situation - there's no telling what sort of conclusion he would come to. He would probably assume the worst!

But once again he remembered that she was _not_ him.

Like a wave of energy, Kacchan's previous words flooded his mind. "The two of you probably think a lot alike."

The breaths came faster and faster, and before he knew it, he could feel his chest getting tighter. He could hear his mind telling him to breath, so he did. He breathed, in, and out, slowly. In, and out, he breathed with his heart beat as a marker. As he calmed down, his mind searched for more answers. Suddenly, Kacchan's other words came to him.

_They were best friends for a reason._

Uraraka wouldn't lie to him and say she understood when she really didn't. He knew that. Of _course_ this type of thing wasn't too far. They were _best_ friends! It would just be a small joke. All he had to do was talk to her. Talk to Uraraka, his best friend - the person he could share everything with. Ya...

_Knock*_

_Knock*_

_Knock*_

Within a few seconds, the door swung open to reveal the perky, bubbly girl he had come to love.

"Hey Deku!" He heard her say. He almost didn't realize he wasn't even looking at her before he looked up. Escaping the gravitational pull of the floor that seemed to pull at his eyes.

There she was, clad in light green PJs, smiling brightly. Her hair flowing loosely over her shoulders, the glimmer in her eyes dancing ever so slightly with the light emitting from her lamp. The warming yellow from said light source glowed behind her like a small, envious sun that had made its way into her dorm.

Before he could lose himself, he let his gaze succumb to the floor's gravity, afraid of the trance in front of him. It was a shock, he hadn't expected her to be so captivating. She always was before, but now was, different. Her smile, her eyes that closed along with it - it gave him a boost of energy. A boost of..._confidence_.

And there he stood. In shorts, and a light colored t-shirt that said "Dress Shirt" on it. Bowing like a prince. Holding out a messy bouquet of white flowers, and confidently announcing, "Uraraka, it would be an honor if you would accompany me to the National Hero Ball. I wouldn't want to go with anyone else."

...

A silence fell between the two - and amidst that silence he felt his mind hide behind memories. He remembered when he used to talk to his mother - back when he lived with her. He never really had friends. Asides from Kacchan when he was really young, and the couple of kids that they hung out with, he never fit in with anyone. Well, it wasn't really that. The kids never _wanted_ him to fit in.

Every time he wanted to have a conversation, include himself with the other kids, try to be apart of things - they actively tried to get him to stop. After the first week in middle school, he stopped trying altogether. It felt redundant. He felt like, if they didn't want his company, then why should he want theirs?

...

...He wanted their company _so_ badly.

But he didn't have it. And he knows why they didn't want him around but...

...sometimes he didn't want to worry his mom, always being home alone. He was sure she would think he didn't have any friends. So he used to go to the park by their house and just sit there. For hours. Just...sit there and write about heroes in his journal. He would research them on his phone or lab top, and keep himself busy.

Anyways, he talked to his mom a lot. He usually stayed in the park but she seemed to never mind him being home. Or, he always thought she knew deep down where he went when he wasn't home, and she was just worried for him.

She would tell him stuff about her own childhood. How, before she met his father, she would always help her own father with his hobby. Writing. He remembers how she told him her father would write things and she would read them aloud. Almost like speeches. And one thing that stuck with her was the same thing he always told her, "Make sure when you say it, say it like you mean it."

"Say it like you mean it."

He's kept on to that quote for a while. He never really thought about it. Or...actively tried to follow its advice. It was just something he kept in the back of his head. He always thought it was a good sentiment, although not always applicable, it was something that he found very, nice? That word was probably not the best way to describe it - but he knew how it felt to be on the receiving end of loneliness. The idea of "saying it like you meant it" was a little estranged, but he liked to think it also meant, "say what you truly mean."

Right then, as he, "asked Uraraka out to the dance," he said it like he _meant_ it.

Because he _did_.

Years..._years_...where he had nobody but his mother. Not a single kid at school would treat him like he had any value. Then, the first time he walked into U.A. - there she was. She caught him from falling, showed him kindness. The first person who shown interest in him as a human being. It was almost unbelievable how nice a person could be...but it was _her_ who was there. And not only was she there for him, she stuck around! She didn't leave him like everyone else had done beforehand.

That's why he meant it when he said it. He wouldn't want to go with anyone else because to him there _was_ no one else. It was only her.

He would start saying what's on his mind more often from then on. She meant too much to him, he wouldn't hide behind his embarrassment. He would say what he wanted to, and he would say

...

He must have been thinking to himself for half a minute now - but the silence he had ran from was still there. The silence that followed his declaration was _still there, _and it was _unbearable_. He couldn't take it, she was supposed to be laughing, calling him a dork, reacting in _any_ way! _Why wasn't she reacting?!_

Not able to take the suspense, his head raised ever so slightly. His eyes naturally followed, only to find Uraraka standing perfectly still. Her mouth was, slightly ajar - and her eyes looked like they had seen the most beautiful cluster of stars. They twinkled, as if, reflecting whatever captured her gaze. They shined. Brighter than he had ever seen them before.

He felt as if his own eyes were glossing over as he looked at her. Taking in her beauty, almost as if he had never truly _seen_ her before. Of course, he had seen her but, this was different. He had never gotten the chance to really _look_ at her. It was clear, she was truly gorgeous.

But it's not like Izuku didn't already know that.

As the two stood frozen in their interlocked gaze, it was apparent that neither of them were going to move. As if the two were waiting for each other to do something, move something, say something.

But before that happened, Izuku noticed small beads of tears pooling in her eyes. "Uraraka? What's wrong?" He asked worriedly, breaking the spell that seemed to hold them in place. He moved forward ever so slightly but was stopped when suddenly she smiled brighter than her eyes. One of her hands came up to frantically wipe away the tears. As they were wiped, more took their place, making the action almost redundant. Her cheeks were a warm shade of red, tears fell down her face, and somehow - her smile became even _brighter_.

"D-Deku..." she stammered happily through the tears, sniffing before lunging forward and encapsulating him in a hug.

Shocked was, not a strong enough word to describe his reaction. He had no idea that this would be what she did in response to his little "joke." It was the complete opposite of what he had predicted. But still...as soon as her arms locked around his back. He did the same, embracing her just as tightly, smiling dumbly at the sheer absurdity of the situation. He didn't understand what she was crying about, or why she was so happy that he had asked her to the ball like a knight from England. But apart of him didn't care. His own confusion only added to the warm feeling that hugging her gave him - and it felt nice, it felt _really_ nice.

After a few seconds of their embrace, he heard a small, genuinely happy chuckle escape Uraraka's lips. That chuckle turned into a small fit of laughter - and as she shook with joy in his arms, he followed suit, breaking out into laughter as well. In the midst of their laughter, Izuku got an idea. He had just told himself he was going to say what was on his mind more often, and he would.

"So, I didn't get an answer...?"

Gaining a few more chuckles from that line, he watched as Uraraka backed away and curtsied in front of him. "It would be my pleasure to accompany you to the National Hero Ball."

Her curtsy, mixed with her posh accent, caused the two to erupt in laughter once more.

As they came down from their laughter high, they both stared at each other - almost knowingly. "Um, these are for you, if you want them. I kinda just picked them from the front, but I thought they were nice. It might be a little stupid and I don't even know if you have something to hold flowers in but I thoughtthatifIwasgonnaaskyoutothedanceitwouldbeappropriatetogivethemtoyou." Izuku rambled, presenting the small bouquet to her.

He shut himself up as he noticed the goofy smile she gave him. Okay, maybe he wasn't fully used to the idea of saying what was on his mind like he meant it. He had been muttering again, something that was usually met with weird glances and sighs of exhaustion. But...she had just smiled at it.

As she looked at the flowers, he noticed how her smile reflected her eyes. As they widened, it did as well. She quickly grabbed the bouquet from his hands, causing him to chuckle slightly. She turned around to run to her desk, looking around for a brief second before dumping out a small pencil cup. The small bouquet fit perfectly in the round container.

"They're beautiful Deku, thank you so much!"

He smiled at her kindness, before his face shifted tones slightly. "You are ok though, right?" He asked as his legs unconsciously walked closer to her, "You were just crying."

He noticed how she immediately brought a hand up to her face, almost covering it out of embarrassment, "Y-Yah, s...sorry about that. I guess it was just really s-sweet seeing you do something like that."

He could tell she was blushing, mostly because of his own blushing. Or at least the warmth radiating from his cheeks definitely made him think he was blushing. He could see her hand move slowly away from her face, showing that he was correct in his observation. But...suddenly her happy smile began to crack. It was slow at first, just a little dip in the corners. But when it became a wobbly frown, his senses went on red alert.

"It just...made my day. It's been pretty rough...so..." Before she could finish, another tear fell down her face. And another, and another, and before he knew it - he was running forward and cradling her as she cried. Her face contorted and strangled sobs escaped her mouth. Small attempts at saying "I'm sorry" broke through, her voice cracking with every syllable.

Just as quickly as she tried, Izuku had shut her down. His lips placed a long kiss on her temple as he pulled her closely to his chest, encapsulating her in a warm embrace. Whispering his own soft apologies he began to help her move to the bed. It _was _his fault that her day had been so stressful - she deserved an apology.

It took a minute for her to stop crying, but eventually when she did - he could feel her hug him more forcefully. "Deku, you don't have to apologize to me. I know you think everything is your fault, but it's not."

He could feel her hand glide across his body, from his back to his right arm. It stopped there, gripping his scarred bicep ever so slightly. He could see her face contort as she felt the torn skin. Immediately, he brought his own hand to the skin as well, silently showing her that he was fine. As his hand glided closer to hers, they connected - entangling their fingers and bringing them to rest between them. He stared at her hand holding his, almost wishing they could stay that way forever

Hearing her let out a breath, he brought his gaze up to her eyes. They looked worn, glossed from her previous tears - bits of red underneath them as well. Even though she had just said it wasn't his fault, he _knew_ none of this would be happening if it weren't for him. He bit his lip, before speaking, "To be honest, I sometimes wish I wouldn't have brought you in on this secret. To see how much pain you've had to endure since learning of it..."

"Deku, you made it very clear the first time you told me, that this was going to be dangerous. And I'd rather have to go through years of pain and be apart of this, then to not be."

He could see her hesitate with her next words, so he took the chance to bud in, "I know that Uraraka. But I feel so selfish - I only told because..." he stopped for a second, feeling the warmth rise up to his cheeks, before continuing, "I _wanted _you to know. I _wanted _you to be apart of this. I, put you through all of this without even really thinking of how it would impact you and your own goals."

"Deku," Uraraka squeezed his hand tightly, "I want you to know, t-to me, you are like my _biggest_ inspiration!"

"R-Really?"

"Really! Ever since the beginning of school, ever since I've watched you progress from barely being able to use your quirk, to being probably the strongest in our class! You are always trying to save people, no matter what. You have no idea how much you've pushed me. I, _want _to be like you!"

Somehow, the idea of himself being an inspiration for _Uraraka _did not click for Izuku. In fact, it didn't make much sense at all. "B-But, Uraraka how can _I _be an inspiration for _you?! _You are _my _inspiration!?"

"Deku stop trying to be all flattery."

"I'm serious! You have no idea how much you inspire _me! _All you do is constantly help me, you are _always_ there for me - every breakdown I've had, every single thing you are always there to support me. Not only that, but you're an incredibly hard worker! You're always training and when you're not training you're studying! You are _my_ inspiration!"

"Stop that Deku," Uraraka said, looking off to the side slightly, "You're just being nice. I'm not all that great."

Before he could even think of his actions, Izuku's hands grabbed her shoulders. He hadn't planned on doing this, but hearing her doubt herself was enough for him to make a split second decision. "You _are _that great Uraraka! It makes me so upset when you belittle yourself like that, you _need _to start giving yourself credit! You're an incredibly hard worker! You devote so much of your time just to help me and you put up with so much of my crazy life - yet you still find the time to constantly improve yourself! I wasn't lying before when I said I don't wanna go with anyone else. You're amazing!" Izuku half screamed.

Her eyes had widened in a flustered disarray, like it was taking a few seconds for her to register what he had just done. It was definitely taking a few seconds for _him _to register what he had just done. For when he finally came to, he quickly pulled away, almost surprised at his actions. He froze with his hands out in front of him like a deer in headlights.

"Deku..." Uraraka whispered.

Before she could finish he snapped back into reality, "I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to grab you like that I just-"

Out of _nowhere_ Uraraka crashed into Izuku, cutting him off and encapsulating him in a air tight bear hug. He fell back on her bed with her arms squeezing him tightly, completely shell-shocked by her actions.

"You're so sweet Deku! IL-ouysondjemukh." Uraraka whispered into his chest, the last bit of her words being muffled by his clothing. The smile she wore was so wide it was noticeable to Izuku as it pressed against his t-shirt.

He smiled happily at her actions, his mind lingering on her muffled words for just a slight second - before his subconscious took over and his arms wrapped around her body as well. He squeezed her tightly, not letting the chance to hold her in his arms slip away.

It took a while, but eventually their small 'hug fest' had ended. and they got down to business. Business meaning coming up with a plan. The two sat shoulder to shoulder on her bed, their backs up against the corner wall, both looking at his phone. He was on an empty notepad waiting to type something in - before he remembered his conversation with Kaminari earlier in the night. "Oh! Right, uh Uraraka, I forgot to tell you something _pretty_ important."

"What is it Deku?" Uraraka responded, leaning her head against his shoulder. He noticed for a split second but then focused back on the info he was about to share. It was much important then small gestures.

Glancing over to her and then back to his phone, he took a small breath and let his device drop into his lap. "Well, earlier I ran into Kaminari. And, I was thinking about how we needed to come up with a way to convince the whole class that we're going to the hero ball t-together, and I jumped at the opportunity."

She was quiet for a second, before her voice vibrated gently against his body, "What do you mean?"

"Well, I told Kaminari that I was planning on asking you to the dance. And he gave me a bunch of advice and probably thinks that I already asked you...since he told me to do it tonight." He finished, nearly flinching in preparation for her response. Not once had he consulted her about this decision and he might have crossed a line - so he awaited her words once more.

When she lifted her head off his shoulder he assumed that it was a bad sign, but her next words assured him.

"That's great Deku!"

Uraraka has thought it was _amazing_ that he was able to come up with that on the fly. That was a _big_ relief to Izuku, as not only did that mean she wasn't uncomfortable by his actions, but she even explained how much of a help that would be for their end goal.

Apparently, she had been thinking of their small problem all day. She found it hard to find a way to make sure everyone knew they were going together. Unless they had him ask her in front of the whole class, which admittedly was a rather big task for him, their plans were very limited. But Uraraka explained how they can use Kaminari and his, by quote, "big mouth," to spread the news.

So, with some more planning, that is what they did. First, Izuku texted Kaminari that his advice worked and that Uraraka said yes. Luckily the next part came extremely easy, as Kaminari quickly responded asking him to share the news with the boys in their group chat. It was a given for him to allow it - and so the boys of the class knew of their 'date' to the national hero ball.

The next part was also Uraraka's idea - as she decided that texting the girls of what had happened would be a good way to spread the news. She had opened up the girls group chat on her phone and sent a simple message.

**Uraraka: **Umm, I think Deku just asked me out...and I said yes!

That's where they where currently. Just waiting for the girls to respond, casually looking at Uraraka's phone in lieu of _any _response really. They were still comfortably leaning against each other, it was almost odd. Sure, over the past few months they had definitely gotten closer, and he has definitely grown past his crazy blushing phase. But he still found it oddly nice that they could sit this close, _be _this close without setting each other off.

Even with her brown hair scrunching up against his shoulder, her small breathes just missing his arm, and her eyes slightly narrowing out of comfort. He could just, be happy that she was here, instead of internally dying from embarrassment. - "_It IS hard to fight the feeling of wanting to cuddle up next to her"_

Finding the silence to be a bit boring, not to mention his own pining , he nudged her ever so slightly.

"Hm? What is it?" She answered in a low whisper. Her head turned slightly on his shoulder so her gaze was now on his face.

Keeping his eyes closed, he hummed an affirmative noise before speaking up once more. "You wanna know a secret Kaminari told me?"

He could feel her smirk against him as she quickly agreed. His eyes darted right, giving her a small side glance before he himself began to smirk. "I don't know, I'm _really _not supposed to tell anyone."

A chuckle escaped Uraraka's lips as she quickly sat up, turned to him, and gave him a look that screamed "are you serious right now." It was a hard fight not to break his facade, but once she began to pout he quickly lost the mask. A light chuckle escaped his lips as well, "Alright alright, but you _seriously _can't tell anyone."

"I won't! Now come on I'm curious." She quickly responded, leaning back on to her pillow.

"Ok...so Kaminari and Jiro...their dating."

Seeing her face shift from curiosity, to utter amazement was an incredible sight. So incredible he couldn't help but double back in laughter as she nearly screamed out, "WAIT WHAT!? ARE YOU SERIOUS!?"

It was a while until their small laughter fest calmed down, but when it did he noticed the soft gaze that had landed on Uraraka's face. "You know, I'm really happy for them. They seem perfect for each other."

"Me too, from what Kaminari told me they _are _happy - and their keeping it a secret so they don't have to worry about everyone talking about them and what not. I was surprised because it turns out them keeping it a secret has made it easier for them to not let it take over their lives and their goals," he smiled and chuckled, "it's pretty wholesome if you ask me."

While he doesn't necessarily pride himself on his ability to read people's facial expressions, Izuku isn't bad at it. It's easy for him to notice when something he said particularly affected someone. And watching Uraraka's eyes widen slightly and look in astonishment as he talked about their secret relationship was something he just _couldn't _miss.

"R-Really? I would um...I would think a relationship right _now_ would be distracting. You know, with the whole becoming heroes thing."

_Oh_. Suddenly, he found it easier to come up with a reason as to why she made that face. And he also found it easier to come up with a reason for the sudden wave of silence that fell between them. She was looking, _right_ at him. Almost as if she expected him to end it.

"I used to think that too," he whispered as they continued to lock eyes, "But, it seems to really be working out with them."

"I-" Uraraka's words were cut off by a _barrage_ of notifications popping up on her phone. This successfully snapped the two out of their staring contest and into a frenzied scramble for the phone. She got it first, to his displeasure, and he was forced to wait until she read the message out loud for showed them to him.

She began to scroll through the messages, and from the looks of it there were a _lot._ Enough to make Uraraka scroll a good three times to get through them all. Once she was at the end he could see a smile creep it's way on to her face. "Looks like all the girls know," she looked up towards him, "their all freaking out."

Her phone buzzed once more and it made her look down rather abruptly. Izuku was curious so he leaned over to see what it was, and before he could even read the message the phone dropped from her hands into her lap.

"W-What's wrong?" He asked, noticing her smiling fading and her eyes widening in an alarming manner.

She snapped her face up to him, "You need to leave!"

"W-Why? What's wrong?"

"It's some of the girls!" She quickly responded, getting up and looking around frantically, "they just said their coming!"

He could feel his eyes involuntarily widen as he followed her lead, "W-Wait! What!? Their coming!?"

"_YES_!"

_Knock knock knock*_

They both froze at that noise, and their mouths swung open. A frantic miming match started as they tried to think of a solution. "One sec!" She called out before whispering to him to hide somewhere.

And hide he did, as she went to stall for a few more seconds, he scanned the room quickly for any decently covered spots. He had little time to think and the only plausible spot he could find was underneath the bed. So, underneath the bed he went. It was tight, but enough for him to not suffocate so it would have to do. He could hear a few voices coming from the door before they started getting closer. And closer, and closer, and now...they were _sitting on the bed._

As he began to pray to the gods that they wouldn't find him, he also began to realize something else. He could hear them all, not fully, some of it was fuzzy, but it was audible enough for him to _just_ make out what they were saying. And of course, they were coming to her room for one reason and one reason only.

_To talk about him_

Uh oh...


	16. Bouncy

**Little bit more of a light hearted chapter - the next one might be another week or so out depending on how fast I can write it. Also - I may be getting over my head here but I am going to utilize the idea of a slow burn for so much. So don't think this story is anywhere near completed - who knows, I might just keep giving my own take on canon stuff from here on out. So be excited for that and enjoy this chapter! It made me laugh a bunch writing it!**

* * *

The beauty in friendship, at least to Ochako, is how much you can share with one another. With Deku, she could share just about anything. Their true hardships, their emotions, they could confide in one another. It was just, they had a deeper emotional bond that was hard to explain. In other words, he was definitely the closest person to her out of anyone she knew.

However, with him being a boy, and with her having undeniable feelings for him; there were _some_ things that she could not simply share. For the sake of their friendship, and her dignity. That being her undeniable love for him.

So, as she sat next to her other three closest friends, the fear she had for her very soul was inexplicably large. Why this fear, one may ask?Those three friends happened to be girls. More precisely, those three friends knew of her _large_ crush on Deku. Even _more_ precisely, those three friends were Momo, Mina, and Tsu.

Oh, and one more important thing to mention. Deku just happened to be hiding_ underneath her bed!_

So yes, Ochako was experiencing a fear that was both terrifying and petrifying. But she _needed _to power on, as Mina was currently smothering her with questions and if she ignored it any longer it would look weird.

"OCHA BABE! I AM SO HAPPY FOR YOU!" Mina screamed as she tightly hugged her. The bubbly pink skinned girl, she noticed, was nearly imploding with happiness. Her smile was ear to ear and somehow she could make out a gleeful blush on her already pink complexion.

She was nearly certain she could hear a faint whisper that her "ship has sailed." But she didn't bring it up, choosing to focus on the possible answers she will have to give. And more importantly, the topics she will _need _to avoid.

She could feel Mina's hands detach themselves from her back, only for them to reattach on her shoulders. She gave her a small shake before practically screaming, "So what happened!? Give us the story!? How did he ask!?"

_Her life seriously couldn't get any harder. _

_Actually, _she took that back. Her life _did _in fact get harder - because as she looked around she saw her other friends looking at her expectantly. Momo she could maybe expect this from, but Tsu was usually a little more considerate of her feelings. Where was her usual good-nature'd comment?

"Remember Ochako, you don't have to share anything you're not comfortable with _kero..." _

_There it is! THANK YOU SO MUCH TSU-_

_"...__but,_ I _am _very curious! How'd he ask?"

She was absolutely doomed.

What else could she do here other then break down? The day had already been an emotional one, another round of tears wouldn't hurt. Just as she was about to implode, a thought came to her mind. She was _supposed _to be convincing them that all of this really happened! How could she be such a dunce?!

Deku overhearing her talk about him like _that_ will be fine! It'll just sound like she's trying to follow their plan! It's apart of their plan to convince the whole class anyway. The only problem she had was figuring out what to tell them. "I-um, ok where do I begin?" She nervously tilted her eyes down, racking her brain for any type of believable story. That's when it hit her. As she felt their beaming faces looking at her, all of the pressure faded away when she remembered that Deku had literally already asked her out (Technically)! She could just use that!

"So, he came to my door a little while ago. He was, wearing that cute shirt that says dress shirt on it, even though it's just a t-shirt haha." She sounded so stupid to herself, but it wasn't that hard to recall the event. She didn't even have to lie, all of these thoughts were true. It's not like she was creating fake emotions here, she just had to relay how she actually felt when he did that. It might be a bit embarrassing considering he is hearing her talk about how his shirts are cute and whatnot. But, if she had learned anything that night - it was to not worry so much about feelings. He trusted her, she trusted him - she just had to continue that trust, and so what if he finds out she thinks his shirts are cute? He's her best friend for a reason! She'll tell him herself when these girls leave!

Ochako continued with a newfound confidence, "He had a handful of flowers, and his face was beaming. That, green hair of his was as messy as ever, and when he bowed down slightly that's when it happened. He asked me if I would want to go with him to the National Hero Ball. He said he wouldn't want to go with anyone else but me. It was _really _sweet."

_Okay, maybe she could tone it down a bit_

It took a few seconds for them to respond, just enough time for her to realize she was smiling like a big idiot. She unconsciously tucked her hair behind her left ear, as she watched the three girls practically squeal at the newly found information. She couldn't necessarily blame them. The way she made it sound, it was like Deku had suddenly become a Casanova overnight.

Well, he pretty much _had _become a Casanova - or at least gained the confidence of one. Sure, he may have been joking around, but the way he asked her to the dance seemed so _genuine_. In her mind, it felt real. It probably wasn't, and it might have been just him trying to be funny to make her feel better. Or maybe it was her taking a friendly gesture during a bad situation and spinning it into something it's not.

_But he did say that he meant it before..._

"Ochako, that is literally the sweetest thing I have ever heard! And the National Hero Ball?! That is such a prestigious event I cannot believe it!" Momo squeaked as she fanned her face.

Tsu simply smiled with a very knowing look, one that screamed, "I am so happy for you both," and somehow also, "I can't believe he actually did that." Ochako couldn't blame her, she was still a little shocked at how sweet Deku had been earlier. She definitely wasn't upset at his behavior - if anything she was happy that he seemed to eliminate that awkward feeling the two would sometimes get. She just wished she was better at handling him being so, so, suave? Was that the word she was looking for?

It didn't matter because compared to Tsu and Momo, Mina was an entirely different story. She had immediately fallen back on to the bed and let out a small squeal of happiness, "THAT IS AMAZING!" She screamed, her hands clenching tightly and waving around like a lunatic. Anyone who didn't know Mina would assume she was, in fact, a lunatic. But she knew better, this was just her personality. Ochako notices her eyes drifting over to her desk, where the flowers Deku had brought had been placed. "Oh my god! And there's the flowers!"

She sat up and lunged back over to Ochako, giving her a big bear hug once more and whispering congratulations and tokens of happiness into her ears. Ochako couldn't help but smile in return, it was nice having all of her friends fawning over her like this. Even if it was slightly "pretend" - it still felt nice.

"Oh my gosh!" Mina pulled back, keeping the same ecstatic look on her face, "I can't believe Midori actually grew a pair and asked you! I'm so proud of him! And he was such a sweetheart too, I'm gonna have to congratulate him later!"

Chuckling at her words, Ochako absentmindedly scratched the back of her neck, "Well, give him some credit. I just think with everything going on at school and with the league he's been a bit preoccupied to really think about stuff like this."

"Yah but come on, it's Midori we're talking about. When it comes to hero stuff he's on his A game but when it comes to girls? Oh jeez he is usually a straight mess!" Mina joked, getting a small nod of agreement from Momo followed by a grin.

A part of her was _seriously _ticked off and she couldn't figure out why. It was something about the girls thinking Deku didn't have any gaul. I mean, she could admit that he wasn't the most _smooth_ when it came to stuff like that. A part of her still resents the whole Hatsume situation, she definitely remembered how he acted back then. Not that it was his fault, it just didn't really help his case.

But still! That was her best friend they were talking about, and just look at what he did tonight! Flowers, asking her to the dance in the first place (he didn't even need to do that), not to mention him comforting her! Deku, to her, was great with that kinda stuff!

She _almost_ said all of that out loud, but she remembered the narrative she was creating. She needed to say _something _though, "Haha, I mean ya, but look at what he did tonight! He even brought me flowers!" She said with only a _hint_ of passive aggressiveness. She couldn't help it.

"Exactly! Which is why I am so surprised and happy, I never knew the dork had it in him!" Mina explained, seemingly not getting the underlying anger in Ochako's words.

"I think what Mina is trying to say is Deku isn't one to put himself out there the way he did tonight. And honestly, we always assumed _you_ would be the one to ask him out first Ochako." Tsu added. Ochako could tell she was trying to defuse the small amount of anger in Ochako's words - and it worked.

"Y-Yah, I guess you're right." She replied, still scratching the back of her neck.

"I mean seriously Ocha, you've been pining over him since the beginning of the year. Who knew he'd be the one initiate it?" Mina explained.

Laughing slightly at the girls words, Ochako sighed, once again admitting, "Yah, I guess you're right."

_Wait, did she just-? _

_Oh shit._

A deafening alarm suddenly went off in Ochako's head. A code red that signaled danger, nothing but _life_ _threatening_ danger. She didn't know what to do, it was like her entire mind flipped the switch that signaled death and her life started flashing before her eyes. Mina had just openly revealed that Ochako had been "pining over" Deku since the beginning of the school year. _And Deku was underneath her bed. LISTENING TO THE ENTIRE THING!_

A long line of curses clouded her mind at the prospect of Deku figuring out her actual feelings. In fact, over the next 15 minutes that the girls chatted in her room, the only thing that was on her mind was if Deku heard it or not. It was truly impossible for her to tell if everything was perfectly audible from under the bed. And if it was, then would she have to fully confess once the girls leave? She didn't know if that was something she was capable of doing at the moment. She didn't know if she was ready for that!

It was like her mouth was on autopilot, answering the girls questions and talking to them like it was second nature. It was trivial stuff, when are they leaving, what dress she was going to wear, etc. But her conscious argued within herself, because Mina had said the words in a rather low tone. So it was possible that Deku hadn't heard everything from under the wooden bed frame and mattress. Hell, she was pretty sure a pillow alone could muffle the sound of a gun firing. Who's to say a mattress and bed frame couldn't block out some voices?

A part of her felt insane, she was trying to come up with an explanation that would help her. Something that would make her feel a bit better. Anything to persuade herself to believe he didn't just hear Mina. Hopefully he didn't hear. But if he _did_, it could be horrific.

Out of all the times for something like this to happen, right in the middle of a secret mission to protect one for all is the _absolute_ worst! Her mind was jumping, worried that it could distract them and make them mess up their plans was one thing. But she hadn't even begun to worry about the other side of the situation, what if Deku didn't feel that way about her! If he found out from someone other then her, that she had been crushing on him since the beginning of the school year - _and_ he didn't feel the same way; well that would be the _absolute worst _case scenario.

She hadn't even realized that the girls had left until she closed her door and snapped back to reality. Her eyes stayed glued to the wooden material that made up her dorm entrance. Her breath hitched at the prospect of where the next conversation could go, and she couldn't bring herself to pull herself away from the door. She almost wanted to leave. That's when she quite literally smacked herself.

No, _for real_. She smacked herself

And that _fully_ brought her back. At least enough to rush over to her bed to see if Deku was alive. She immediately bent over and peeked underneath the frame, "Deku? Are you okay? They left, you can come out now." Her eyes squinted, searching for his green locks in the darkness.

A hand came jutting out, and a familiar soft voice followed it. "Y-Yah! I'm fine! I'm gonna try and get out now." He tagged on a small chuckle at the end of his sentence, causing her heart to throb just slightly. She watched as he slid out from underneath the bed, doing a small spin on the floor, and stopping and smiling up at her. Smirking at his joking nature, she lent a hand to him which he gladly took.

"I-Um, So! At least we know for a fact the girls know about it." Deku chuckled, running a hand through his messy hair. He sat down on _top_ of the bed this time, and sighed, "That was a close call huh?"

Ochako nodded, trying to ignore the problem she was having so much trouble with only a few minutes ago. Surely he would have brought it up by now if he had heard it - but she didn't want to give herself false hope. He might just be dancing around the topic. Not that she'd blame him of course.

"S-So Deku, did you hear all of that?" She watched his reaction, waiting for any hint that he had actually heard what Mina said. His eyes perked up and suddenly made contact with hers, she nearly jumped back. "J-Just in case I said something that might be important, so you remember."

His eyebrows cocked and he began to rub the back of his neck in thought. She watched rather closely, afraid of something that would signify disaster. That's when she saw it, the faintest blush spread across his face. And when that happened, she physically leaned back waiting for him to speak.

"Um, nothing really in particular - most of it was pretty inaudible. But there _was_ something that caught my ear."

There it was, confirmation that he had in fact heard what Mina said. He was about to ask her if she was actually pining over him the entire year. Then, she would say yes - and then he would shoot her down as nice as humanly possible. Their friendship was as good as ruined.

Suddenly Deku smirked, and he raised his head to look at her, "Do you really think my shirt is cute?"

Ochako nearly passed out.

Her head reeled back and she could feel the heat rising rapidly to her face. Damn that Deku, just as she thought he had known something - he pulled a fast one on her. Just as quickly as she faltered however, she snapped back and went on the offensive, "What? I have no idea what you're talking about Deku..."

His smirk only grew, "Oh no no no! You _said_ that I was wearing 'that cute shirt that says dress shirt on it' don't try and deny it!"

_Damn him! _She almost broke her act and giggled but she managed to hold herself together, "Oh that? I was just saying that as apart of the story. I needed to sell it!" Now _she _was smirking. This new jokey Deku was something else, never before would he ever make a joke like that. But he was _now_, and she honestly liked it a lot. It felt like they were closer then ever.

She could see the slight hesitation in his face, before his smirk turned to a small scowl. He turned around dramatically and crossed his arms, "So that's how it is now? I see, and after I went out of my way to put this specific shirt on because I knew you liked it."

It was easy to tell what he was doing, but a small sliver of her mind still couldn't believe that Deku was capable of such acting. And if he _was _being truthful, she didn't want to make him feel bad at all. Especially after he had helped her so much before. So, even against her better judgment - she broke. "W-Wait, you seriously did that? Deku, I was just joking of course the shirts cute."

Her concerned eyes watched as he turned his head back towards her, his scowl forming a cheeky grin, and a silent laugh following shortly after. It was like her entire body turned an insane shade of red, "D-Damn it Deku!"

Soon enough she was laughing along side him. His infinite chuckles being too contagious for her to resist.

* * *

"Alright class listen up! I know the situation is a bit strange but you're going to have to deal with it for the time being." Aizawa's voice echoed throughout the living room of the dormitory. The class had found out about the off time just that morning, when a very tired pro hero dressed in a bright yellow sleeping bag was in their front door blocking their exit. "Just because you don't have classes this week doesn't mean training is going to be paused as well. We are going to be having daily training sessions around noon for a few hours. The main goal of these sessions will be to further develop your own styles, and your abilities."

It wasn't long before the entire class was chatting amongst themselves - everyone seemed to follow their teacher absentmindedly, training wasn't much of anything to complain about for the group of heroes in training. Bakugo's voice was particularly audible as he screamed at "Raccoon eyes" for bringing up "Deku and Round Cheek's shit" every five minutes.

Ochako breathed a sigh at that. The sigh itself was one of mixed emotions; part of her was relieved that everyone was aware of Deku and her's "date." But another part of her was starting to get a bit annoyed at how much everyone loved to talk about it.

It was easy to tell that Deku shared these feelings. After last night, there plan had been fully realized and all that was left was to ride it out. _That, _started in the morning, when both of them woke up just a bit earlier and ate some breakfast before going on a run. He had suggested it, since he was usually going on them by himself he thought she would like to join him. She had humbly accepted - excited to start a new morning routine that would only help her reach her goals. Now, she would _like_ to say they ended up going, but the truth is they _tried. _Right when they got to the front door they had found Aizawa, clad in his yellow sleeping bag, and blocking their exit.

Looking back on it, they probably should have asked All Might who was in on the plan - because the amount of shock and fear they experienced when Aizawa had brought up the Hero Ball in America was _astronomical. _Thankfully, the moment had passed and he simply told them to utilize the gym in the basement if they needed to work out this early.

Surprise! They didn't end up working out.

Instead, she opted to hop on the couch and watch some TV - and Deku joined her. _That _led to some embarrassing teasing from their classmates. If she could float Mineta up to the stratosphere without getting in trouble she totally would. Of course, she instead chose to insist that _just because they were sitting in close proximity - it didn't mean they were "cuddling on the couch watching TV." _

Iida had jumped in and stopped the behavior pretty quickly, which gave her a good amount of relief. But even now, as she walked next to Deku, she could practically feel the eyes of every classmate on her. She didn't think it was going to be this bad.

Of course, the nature of their class, in particular the girls, had always been a bit devious when it came to romance. The very idea of shipping was one that was frequently talked about during sleepovers and girls nights. But she truly had not expected this much attention. Sure, maybe a few questions and joking remarks were normal. But not every single person _staring at them._ It was like their was something on their face and everyone wanted to say something but wouldn't.

She slowly noticed it alleviate as they made it outside and to the training grounds. Looking to her left where Deku stood, she could see that he also noticed the uncomfortable air dissipate. His face turned towards her, and he gave her a small grin and a look that screamed "I am so sorry you have to do this."

Shaking her head, she mouthed the words, "Don't apologize," before smirking and giving him a small bump with her elbow. He chuckled under his breath and she swore her heart stopped for a brief second.

It _sucked _that he had that affect on her.

She didn't know what it was, but it was like he held himself differently. Nothing too noticeable, but he seemed much less tense around her. That allowed for his true qualities to shine more, like that breathy chuckle he just let out. It was somehow enough to make her want to just _grab_ him and never let go.

_Ok, enough with those thoughts._

Moving on to what they were actually doing, she drew her attention to their Sensei - where he began to explain the exercise they were going to be performing. Apparently, he had advice for multiple students that could prove useful if they both worked together - and that idea was cemented when he heard Deku and Mina's name get called.

Before going up, Deku turned to her and shrugged in an overly confused matter which gave her a good chuckle. Watching as they both got some words of advice from Aizawa, she almost frowned as they walked away with each other. N-Not like she was _jealous _or anything, she just didn't want Mina to chew Deku out for "details."

It's not like she had any control over that, so she decided that worrying wasn't an option. Deku could handle Mina, probably, so she should probably just focus on her own partner (or partners?) for the time being. Wondering who she would be paired with, she watched as the next to names were called.

"Aoyama and Hagakure."

* * *

"I-I don't know about this Ashido," Izuku complained - watching as his friend bounced back and forth, "Maybe this isn't the best idea."

To be truthful, when their teacher suggested that Izuku worked on his fluidity in his fighting, he had thought that it was a solid piece of advice. He knew how experienced Aizawa was in combat, so when the man in question suggested he train through dance, he didn't think twice.

But now that he was about to actually follow through with it, he suddenly became very aware of his surroundings. They were out in the open, anyone could pass by at any moment. Most of the class was around the corner, practicing their own combat moves no doubt. And of course, Ashido was right next to him. Usually he wouldn't be so embarrassed about something like this - he wasn't when they had learned the moves for the Culture Festival a few weeks ago. But there was something about the...personal...aspect to this training that felt a little weird to him. Not to mention the fact that Ashido still hasn't mentioned anything about him and Uraraka. Which, to be truthful, was a little terrifying.

He watched as Ashido hopped in front of him, "Oh cut it out Midori! I've seen you dance before and no one else is around to watch right now. This will be good training, and even_ better _practice for the dance you will be taking Ochako too..."

_There it was_

Mentally sighing, Izuku began to stretch out his scarred arm, "I know that but-"

"You know I'm proud of you Midori. I really didn't think you had that in you." She suddenly complimented, giving him a warm smile, "You made Ochako really happy last night, though I'm sure _you_ already know that." She ended with a smirk and a wink.

He had to fight back the warmth rising to his cheeks after that one. He may have gotten more confident around Uraraka - but other people teasing him about it wasn't apart of that package. Dancing didn't sound that bad anymore - so to draw away from _that_ topic, he brought it back to their assignment. "T-Thank you Ashido, but with this dancing. Are you sure-"

"Chill _out_!" Ashido exclaimed, falling back on to her butt and starting to stretch out her legs, "it's not like we're gonna tango or anything - we just want to build fluidity for a fighting style."

Taking that into consideration, Izuku followed her lead and began to stretch himself out as well. It was a very good realization, it wasn't like they were ball room dancing. They were _training! "_Yah, sorry about that. I guess this _is _just training."

"Exactly," Ashido smirked towards his direction, "I know it's a bummer and all - not being able to slow dance with mua." She cackled to herself as he chuckled lightly at the joke.

When the two finished up their stretches, Ashido bounced up and started to shuffle a little back and forth, "So, I've actually been thinking about this for a while now."

"R-Really?" Izuku asked, "But why?"

"Well, ever since the culture festival, I haven't been able to get your quirk off my mind. I don't know, there's something about the way it works that intrigues me."

_Um_...

Gulping, the boy began to grin a bit suspiciously, "O-Oh, really? Well that's a bit odd."

There was _no way t_hat Ashido was suspicious about One for All.._.right?_ Logistically, there wasn't. The two weren't particularly close and even if they were, it's not like they have ever fought closely. She would have no reason to suspect anything - but there was a small chance...he wasn't the best at hiding it. He learned that the hard way with Bakugo.

"Yah," Ashido move forwards and started to move around Izuku's body, stopping directly in front of him, "Well, I always thought that our quirks were so similar - or at least how we move with them."

His worries fading away, Izuku let out a breath and quirked a brow, "Really? How so?"

"Well," she looked up and brought a hand to her chin, "I'm using my acid to skate around all the time, and your quirk makes you move so fast it's like your skating on the ground too. I don't know, it's a bit of a loose connection."

As he thought about it, it actually made a lot of sense. When he ran with One for All, it was almost like he could slide around. Mina was basically on a pair of skates when she used her quirk, so the similarity suddenly became very clear. "No, actually I see it now. I guess our quirks are more similar than I thought."

Ashido smiled, and then began to bounce back and forth once again, "Well, anyways - I've been thinking about how you should fight. And I think a bit of western kick boxing might help you a lot."

"Western kick boxing?" Izuku asked, thinking over his previous research on fighting styles. He couldn't seem to remember hearing about it before.

"Well, you know normal boxing right? It used to be really popular in America." She changed her stance so her hands were in tight fists next to her head, and her left foot was in front of the other.

Nodding, Izuku copied her stance. His hands tightening into fists - his body locking into the firm position, he could tell why boxers used it. If he remembered correctly, boxing was fighting done in a ring using only their firsts. Gloves were a must, but there was no kicking.

But Ashido had said _kick _boxing. "You said Western kick boxing right? How are we supposed to use our legs like this?" Izuku asked, chuckling as he demonstrated how the more stable stance left out leg capability.

When he had trained his Shoot Style, he did an extensive amount of research. He actually remembered taking a look at the boxing stance they were doing - and he remembered how he almost immediately passed it off as not useful to him. If he wanted to implement kicking, a more lax stance would be needed.

"Yes I did!" Ashido exclaimed, loosening her stance slightly, "But the initial movements are very similar."

Izuku watched as the girl in front of him began to widen her legs, drops her arms slightly, and bounce back and forth on each leg. Her arms moved back and forth, up and down, almost matching her bodies fluid movements.

"As you can see," she sent out a few kicks and punches, "this style allows plenty of leg movement." Smirking, Ashido stopped her bouncing and placed her hands on her hips, "Now you try!"

It took him a few moments, but soon enough he was bouncing back and forth. He also threw out a few kick and punches, and he noticed how easy it was to flow into the motion of kicking.

"See what I mean?" Ashido exclaimed, "Now imagine how much faster you could fight like that!"

"You're right Ashido, this might actually be a good choice for my fighting style!"

"Now wait! I have a few more things to talk about! First off, your attacks," Ashido got back into her stance, and began sending off pointed punches, "When you punch or kick, you only ever do big wind ups. It's like you go for the finishing strike every time."

Izuku knew exactly what Ashido was talking about. He had gotten the same piece of advice from Uraraka a while ago, "I know, I've been trying to correct that but I've been having some trouble."

"Well your kicking might be harder to correct, but I think if you just adapt some boxing moves into your fighting, you'll be kicking some serious ass!" Ashido threw a few fast punches in a boxing stance.

"You think so?" Izuku asked, going back into the stance as well, "From what I've seen online, boxing is pretty sluggish."

Ashido stopped bouncing and raised her finger as if to say Izuku was wrong, "Not exactly. Boxing only _looks _sluggish because back when it was popular, quirks weren't a thing!"

She had gone on to explain how if he would integrate his quirk, he could get faster jabs and punches off easily. Essentially making him a lightning fast puncher. Izuku loved the idea, he was fairly certain that with the combination of his new fighting stance, and his faster punches, he would upgrade his fighting capability a ton.

The only thing he didn't understand was how Ashido knew so much about boxing and why she seemed to be an expert on integrating a quirk. So, he asked her. He was surprised to discover that she had done extensive research since middle school on different fighting styles, as her quirk was rather odd. Apparently, she needed a better way to add mobility to her arsenal without a piece of tech.

She had spent so long researching different styles that eventually, she realized that none were going to fit her particular quirk. So, she took up dancing and used it to create her own style. It really surprised him, not that he doubted any of his classmates were hard workers. He just never thought of Ashido being the type of person to do so much research. No wonder she knew so much about different styles and was always thinking about quirk integration, she spent so long doing it herself that she couldn't help but think about others.

In a way, the two were similar. Izuku was always taking notes and thinking about his classmates quirks - while Ashido was doing the same but with fighting styles and quirk integration.

After some further explanation and a few practice hits, Izuku was jabbing out 30 punches in a few seconds with ease. All have around the same integral force behind them that his normal punches would have, just ten times faster! It was outstanding what he could do now, "Thank you so much Ashido! I'm going to be so much more capable now!"

"Don't mention it! I'm glad my hypothesis was correct!" Ashido murmured with a large grin. After a few more minutes of practicing the new form, the two stopped and began to continue with what they were originally doing. Thankfully, the awkward tension Izuku was feeling had all but vanished. He felt genuinely comfortable with Ashido now, it's like they had grown closer within just a few minutes. He was glad, he considered all of his classmates good friends, but to be able to get closer to some of them was always a goal.

"Now, the way I use dancing for my fighting is going to be a bit different to how you use it." Ashido started, bringing a hand to her chin and casually pacing back and forth, "I slide like I'm on skates so I use more direct dance moves to help myself balance and flow freely. You however, are just using your feet to move around."

She stopped and clapped her hands together, "Ok! I got it - we're not going to be learning dance moves or anything fancy. _Yet _that is. But instead, let's focus on flexibility and free form!"

_~ 1 Hour Later ~_

Originally, when Izuku had heard the words "flexibility" and "free form" he assumed Ashido would be guiding him on some stretches to up his movement range, and maybe some rhythmic dance moves.

He was wrong - _very, _wrong.

For the past hour, he has been completing a Ballet like work-out. Which consisted of plies, spinning, and a lot of stretching his foot over his head. Now, normally this would not be that embarrassing. Sure, he may _look_ like a wannabe ballerina, but it wasn't like anyone was around to watch.

That is, until 5 minutes ago - when Uraraka, Bakugo, Kaminari, Kirishima, Yaoyorozu, and Todoroki had finished their training. It was almost like they thought they were being stealthy or something, creeping around the side of the building like special forces spying on the enemy.

At first he tried to ignore them. But as he leaped into the air, spun around, kicked his legs apart, and landed in a split. The laughter was just impossible to drown out. He heard Yaoyorozu offer the rest some tissues, probably to wipe away their tears from laughing.

After a few more minutes of the torture, Ashido finally told Izuku to stop, exclaiming how he did so well and that he should practice the stretches and techniques she taught him in the beginning of their lesson daily for the best results. Izuku noticed how she tried her hardest to hide her cackling, but utterly failed at holding back the laughter

Well, at least she tried...

A few hours passed from their training sessions and soon enough he found himself around all of the boys in Class 1-A. The class had somehow split into gender groups and were having a "boys vs girls" night in order to have some fun on their impromptu break from classes. The boys had the living room for their planning while the girls congregated in one of their dorm rooms. It was, a little strange he had to say. As he watched his classmates come up with ways to prank the girls, the only thing he could think of was how desperately he wanted to talk to one of them.

Maybe it was a little strange, but Izuku wanted to talk to Uraraka. He wanted to hang out with her, he wanted to spend time with her. It feels like that's all he'd been doing these past weeks but he didn't really mind at all. He enjoyed being around her.

_Maybe he shouldn't be so reliant on her company - _it's not like the boys weren't having fun right in front of him. If anything, he should be trying to have fun with them. The whole idea of a prank night was very appealing to him - it sounded like so much fun and he didn't feel like ruining that for himself. It wasn't often the class had a chance to _do things _together - ever since the shopping mall and the Shigaraki encounter, not to mention Toga at the hospital, it was like they were destined to not do things normal kids might do. So, he told himself he would have fun tonight.

"I'm _telling _you shitty hair! The whip cream won't fucking work! And even if it does, that's so _weak! _WE GOTTA GO BIGGER!_" _

_Well, at least Kacchan sounded like he was having fun. _

Walking towards the formation of boys that had congregated around the couches, his ears began listening to the multitude of ideas that had arose between them.

"I say we get Koda to fill their pillows with ants or something! Freak them out like crazy!" Kaminari began laughing while Koda quickly shut that idea down. It seems like their kind friend was totally against using insects for the prank - which was, understandable. Izuku didn't think he would enjoy a pillow full of ants even in a joking context.

"Well if not bugs then why don't we get a ton of plastic balls and fill their rooms with it! I saw it in a YouTube video once!" Sero suggested, which got rounds of approval from everyone on the couches.

"But hold on," Ojiro suddenly spoke, catching everyone's attention, "How are we supposed to get that many plastic balls on such short notice?"

And the sulking began once more. Sato suggested baking them a cake that tasted terribly. Everyone seemed to like that idea but Kacchan once again shut it down for being _"too fucking weak!"_ Iida tried to float around the idea of mental torture - something that no one expected from _him_ of all people. Basically, he wanted them to do absolutely nothing and freak all the girls out by pretending like it was always about to happen. A solid idea in retrospect - but it would take too long and they didn't have such time.

"My idea of stealing all of their panties is still on the table!" Mineta screamed before Kirishima whacked him on the head.

It seemed for a few seconds that they were all out of options. It's not like Izuku could really think of anything better. With how little time they had and how big the expectations were, there wasn't much he _could_ suggest.

"I think I got it!" Kacchan suddenly screamed, getting up and clenching his fists in front of himself tightly, "Lets scare their asses!"

Now _that_ was something they could pull off. He didn't exactly know _how_ they could scare a group of heroes in training that were prepared for much worse. But the idea was the most promising one yet!

"I think I can help with that." Tokoyami said, Dark Shadow popping out from behind him like a kid on Christmas Eve. It looked like he was literally built for scaring others - and Tokoyami had the perfect plan.

They started off by finding the power box outside - thankfully it wasn't _too _late so Shoji had little trouble sneaking around the outside to flip the switch. Within a few seconds the entire buildings light system was shut off - effectively rendering their entire class in a sea of darkness. The next step was actually Todoroki's idea - he thought that making the room colder would give off an eerie vibe. So, along with his quirk, he had released a chill into the air - almost making the place feel haunted.

Just as they expected, it only took a few minutes for the girls to come wandering downstairs - likely questioning why the power had suddenly gone out and why a coldness had creeped into the building.

That's when they would strike. All of them were hidden behind the couches, stalking the stairwell and elevators - while Dark Shadow kept to the shadows to creep up around them. Izuku felt it was a great plan, and waited eagerly with the rest, trying not to cackle and give away their position.

They waited, and waited, and waited, but for some reason nothing was happening. _Where had they gone wrong?_

Maybe it was the lights suddenly flipping on, or the faintest giggle that he recognized from behind them. But something screamed at his mind - something that said,

"_THEY KNEW!"_

Out of nowhere a loud shriek - one of _absolute_ volume, echoed around them.

His heart almost exploded in fear. Nearly simultaneously, all of the boys turned around and screamed in an octave non of them knew they were capable of. Kaminari in particularly jumped up and released a bolt of electricity around him - both shocking the rest of the boys and knocking himself even further back. _Ow_

As he laid there, slightly charred from the blast, his eyes shifted towards the culprits. All of the girls stood proudly around a large speaker, laughing their ass's off, with night vision goggles resting on their foreheads. He couldn't help but single out one of them, wearing a light pink shirt, almost matching the rosy color of her cheeks from the chill in the air - was Uraraka.

He immediately chuckled as he watched her double over in laughter, he could ignore the little bit of pain he felt from the electricity.

_She was just too perfect_


	17. Early Leave

**HEY! Whats up ya'll, finally the kids are going to be making their way to America this chapter. I loved writing this one and I'm pretty sure this is the first time we are seeing a certain characters pov - so I hope I captured their personality correctly (In accordance to their development this story that is) - so enjoy! The next chapter will probably be this weekend so look forward to that, as always thanks for the support!**

* * *

Dark green strands of hair danced across her face. She smirked at the small screen in front of them as she leaned into him ever so slightly. The movie playing happened to be a comedy - so they two laughed and giggled at the picture. Ochako, well one could say that she had never felt more comfortable in her life.

They'd been doing this a _lot_ lately. Escaping off to his or her room just to, hang out. Whether it was watching a movie, studying, or talking for hours. It felt nice to get away from the rest of the class, especially now that they all seem to _love_ to tease them about the "big date next week." It was a bittersweet feeling, but it was also easy to escape when it became too much. It almost felt like most of their time was spent in either of their rooms over the last few days.

She knew this was dangerous. They were getting too close, and they both had goals in life. Her mind was always in a constant battle - on one side, she argued that there simply wasn't time for romance. Deku has a goal, _she _has a goal - sure, their goals may be intertwined but with how much they already have on their plate...

_Would juggling a romantic relationship be feasible?_

She didn't know, but she _did_ know what the other side fought for. The much stronger side, argued that it already _seemed_ like they were dating. They spent a lot of time together, training, studying, _and_ just hanging out like they were now. The only addition that a romance would bring would be physical- _Stop!_

Thinking about stuff like _that_, especially when he was literally laying on her, was _way_ too big a risk. It didn't change the fact however, that the only _change_ would be _that_. Physical affection, romantic gestures, things she wanted _so _desperately.

That's not even to mention Jiro and Kaminari. They apparently had been dating for a month now, and they seem to be doing fine. Granted, they were secretly dating, and she didn't know if that would be an option. But if they could do it, why couldn't she and Deku make it work too? That is, if he liked her back.

_What was the right answer?_

Part of her wanted to not care. She could worry about this after they got past this dance. But deep down she _knew_ it was only a week or two away until they would be there. Part of her _knew_ that, pushing it back would only delay the inevitable.

It was already _Friday_. Friday night to be exact - meaning they only had one more full day until they were leaving. The fear of the situation, although large, was _nearly_ trumped by her overwhelming excitement. Even if the situation itself was dire - the idea of flying to America and attending the National Hero Ball was enough to get her pumped. It was also enough for her to forget about her little problem for the time being. She had decided that there was no harm in enjoying the trip, and just having fun with her friend.

Suddenly, her positive thoughts turned grey as she recalled the utter _scene_ Bakugo had made just a few hours ago.

Of course their accomplice had grown impatient and decided to do the fake phone call a whole day early. Normally, it would have been fine, Ochako didn't see a problem with him getting it out of the way. But his "performance" was short of praiseworthy. Grimacing at Bakugo's acting, she reached over to pause the movie. "Are you sure the class believed all of that earlier?" She looked up to Deku, her face full of worry. He cringed as well, seemingly remembering the event. "I mean, it wasn't _that_ bad, right?"

An odd half chuckle, half sigh escaped his mouth, "It was pretty bad."

Of course it was! Who throws their arms up in a fury and storms off yelling '_WHAT DO YOU MEAN MOM WAS IN AN ACCIDENT!? WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH HER!?'_

"On second thought Uraraka, maybe it wasn't that bad after all," he chuckled, "I mean, we _are_ talking about Kacchan here. For all we know, that _would_ be his normal reaction to that kinda news."

Once again his words were able to bring her comfort - he always had that effect on her. Maybe he actually _was_ born with a quirk, just a super specific one that was only meant to bring her happiness...

...maybe that was a little much

She smiled, chuckling back at his observation, "You're probably right. I shouldn't worry so much."

He gave her a little side glance, before sighing and sitting up a bit. "Speaking of worrying, how do you think Todoroki's doing?"

She had managed to momentarily forget about yesterday's events. How the entire class crowded around the tv, watching as Endeavor (with help of #2 hero Hawks) battled a Nomu that seemed to have infinite power.

It was truly frightening.

Not only watching as Todoroki feared for the life of his father, but watching as everyone around the seen panicked. Then, their was the "Can't ya see?" kid. Hope was something he instilled, and in the end - Endeavor was able to stand proudly in victory.

"I'm sure he's fine." Ochako responded, leaning reassuringly into his shoulder, "You spoke to him earlier right?"

"Yeah, he seemed fine but I don't know," she watched as his eyes store into the keys of the laptop in front of them, "something tells me he's not completely ok."

She paused before her next words, not really sure of what to say. Deku cared _so much _for Todoroki, and telling him that everything was fine wouldn't necessarily help ease his worries. "Deku, it's hard to, really, pinpoint what's wrong there."

He gave a small sound of confusion, "Hm?"

"You know, their entire family is so... complicated."

"Oh."

She forced a smile onto her face, "It's ok though. You already helped him back at the sports festival, and I think from here you're gonna have to let him handle that type of stuff."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," he smiled, moving his fingers to the space bar, "It'll be fine."

It took another hour or so for the movie to end, and when it did, Ochako happily closed the laptop. "I guess I should head back to my room, I'm pretty tired and it's," she glanced down at her phone, "w-wow, it's already 1:30."

Expecting him to get up and move, or even say something in return, she awaited his voice. Only, she never got it. All she did pick up was the tiniest snores she had ever heard.

He had fallen asleep on her shoulder.

It was such a common occurrence for them at this point, she barely flinched. Only offering up a faint chuckle and smile as her eyes trailed across his face. His mouth was slightly ajar, and the freckles on his cheeks were so defined, she could probably count them.

This was _definitely_ over-stepping at this point. She could feel that it was time to get up and leave him to sleep, so she did. She sat up from the pile of pillows they rested on and moved to climb over her sleeping friend. When she planted her hand next to his waist, she _definitely_ hadn't expected him to grab on to her wrist.

_Don't freak out_

She gave a gentle tug. Nothing. A little _less_ gentle tug. Still nothing. She breathed a heavy sigh before climbing back over him to try and detach his hand from hers. That didn't work. Finally she resorted to her words, "Deku, your kinda grabbing me there, can you let go?"

His asleep-self was obviously not very coherent. He did let go however, only to curl back into the pillows and murmur out a low and choppy, "s-stay."

Her breath hitched, he wanted her to _stay_? The sane part of her mind rolled her eyes and wished him a goodnight.

But unfortunately that didn't seem to be the part of her brain that controlled her body. Because, she still hadn't moved. She kneeled on his bed, breathing consciously - the heat rising to her face was slight, but it was there.

What if she _did_ stay?

In a moment of mental blockage, her body laid back down. Her head rested inches away from his, sharing the same pillow, and her arm tucked closely to her chest. Really, what was the harm in staying for just a few more minutes? At least until, his consciousness was fully...lost...

* * *

"..doriya, Young Midoriya."

He could feel the crust on his eyes give way as he peaked them open. His room was dark, but in front of him, stood a thin framed man, crouched down next to his bed. For a split second he nearly screamed. _Who was in his room at a time like this?_

It took a few seconds for his mind to catch up, but as soon as it did, the figure became clear. _All Might_, of course. Who else did he know with hair shaped like that? He must have been half asleep, "All Might? W-What are you doing here?"

Sitting up, he noticed an unusual weight to his left. His hand accidentally brushed the side of this weight, letting him know that it was in fact a person who was next to him. Once he glanced down, he saw Uraraka, laying there facing the wall. _Oh no_

They must have fallen asleep while watching the movie. And now, All Might was standing in the middle of his room watching them sleep next to each other. This was bad, not only was this breaking so many rules, but it was also _extremely _embarrassing for his idol to be watching something like this. He quickly glanced back up to his teacher apprehensively, afraid of his reaction - but he simply received a small smirk. "It's fine Midoriya, but there _is_ a reason I'm here. There's been a change in plans, we need to leave on a plane to America in two hours."

His eyes widened, "W-What?"

The face All Might was making was similar to the one he had made earlier that week; When he had told them about the lock-down, and how the class was on a suspect list. It looked full of pity. "It's a _long_ story, but essentially the committee is sending their people a day earlier than planned. So we need to leave, and fast." He stood up and sighed, noticeably upset at the circumstance. His body turned towards the door, only to look back after a few seconds. "Wake Uraraka and tell her to have her bag packed with what we discussed, we leave in half an hour. I need to go inform Bakugo."

His eyes lingered on Izuku's for a few seconds, before he smiled and nodded. Just like that, he turned once more and exited the room.

He took half a second to breath, there was so much they needed to do, and so little time. His immediate thought was Uraraka, so he turned to her and placed a hand on her shoulder, "Uraraka. Hey, you gotta get up."

Not wasting time on watching her wake, he quickly turned around and moved towards his closet. He needed to grab his suitcase and make sure he had everything. Thankfully, he had packed already for this trip. All Might had given them a list of things to bring, such as formal wear, travel documents, and in Izuku's case, a pair of shoes that weren't his red high tops. Thank god he had chosen to pack the day before, he had no clue what he would be doing if he had 30 minutes to get his things together. He just needed to add his toiletries and he'd be set.

Behind him, he heard her stir, "D-Deku? W-What's going on, wait why am I-"

Quickly, he turned around and rushed over to her, "Uraraka! There's no time, you need to go to your room and pack." He helped her sit up quickly, silently praying that she had already packed like he did. "There's been a change in plans, we're leaving in half an hour for the airport."

If he hadn't been freaking out over their inherent lack of time, he would have taken a moment to help her catch her bearings. Maybe he would have chuckled at the half confused, half dazed face she was making as he pulled her off his bed. But they didn't have time.

She shook her head a little and ran a hand through her hair, taking a deep breath in the process. There was brief moment of silence as he grabbed his phone charger from his desk, before suddenly he heard a gasp, "W-Wait, Deku! What about Bakugo?"

He had already turned to shove the item in his suitcase, "it's alright, All Might is going to tell him right now."

Once his suitcase was zipped, he began slipping on his shoes. Suddenly, Uraraka struggled to push out a, "N-No! Deku, I was talking about the plan! The class doesn't know Bakugo is going to the hospital for his mother!"

He froze. He had _completely_ forgotten about that, and now they were leaving in 20 minutes with a large gap in their story. A gap that could cost them their safety and the very secret of One for All itself. This was bad, _very _bad.

"_Shit_!"

* * *

"C'mon Kirishima! Open up!" he screamed, pounding on his friends door like his life depended on it.

It basically did at this point. If he didn't get someone to help him out with this lie to the class, the entirety of One for All would be made public to the heroes safety committee. Then, really who _knew _what could happen. Actually, he did know.

All Might had explained _thoroughly_ how dangerous that would be for not only himself, but for Deku, Uraraka, their families, and their entire class.

So it wasn't an option. He wouldn't allow the secret to be outed like that, not if he could do something about it. He just wished that he had his original plan to fall back on. But unfortunately, that wasn't in his playbook anymore.

Katsuki had to say, getting woken up by All Might at _3:00 in the morning_ was not on his to-do list. When he had learned that they had thirty minutes to pack and leave for the airport, he nearly screamed in the former number one's face. _Could you blame him though!? _He had _zero_ knowledge of anything, and his plan wasn't even fully complete. That made it twice as hard for him to do _this. _What was _this_? It was him relying on one of his best friends.

His fist tightened uncontrollably, he didn't want to drag anyone else in this shit.

Suddenly, the door in front of him swung open to a nasty looking face, "_BAKUGO! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW LATE IT IS!?_"

"Quiet the _fuck down!_ You'll wake up the whole floor!" He shouted back, not taking his own advice.

Kirishima reluctantly sighed and shut his mouth. Now, Katsuki ran into a problem, what the hell was he going to say? He was standing right in front of him, staring into his eyes, and he had _zero _clue as to how we was going to explain this. It's not like he could just tell him the entire situation, and he couldn't make up some bullshit lie, that wouldn't go over smoothly with the _one_ person who could tell when he was lying. But he _needed_ his help.

He took a deep breath, he needed to calm down, "Listen, I need your help Kirishima."

The upset look on Kirishima's face fell, getting replaced with one of worry and curiosity. He took a step closer to Katsuki, and leaned on the door frame that separated them. "What's wrong man? Is everything alright? Does this have to do with your mom?"

He had to fight back the urge to let off a small explosion, "Uh, kinda. I, I can't explain everything right now." He could see the look in Kirishima's face, it was so skeptical. Not that he could blame him, this probably sounded bat-shit crazy. "But you _need _to trust me and just _know_ that whatever ends up happening this next week, me, Deku, and round cheeks are innocent, alright?"

He paused, watching his friends face for any sign of, well, anything. Kirishima was Katsuki's best friend, he knew him better then anyone, but this was a rare occasion where he couldn't read him. For a moment, silence overtook them. It was almost frightening, but suddenly, a smile planted itself on Kirishima's face, "Of course man, I will _always_ trust you and I trust Midoriya and Uraraka as well."

When he let out a breath, it came with a bit of shock; he hadn't realized he was holding his breath in the first place. "T-Thanks man. I just, I don't have much time, but I need you to make _sure _that by tomorrow morning everyone in the class knows and _understands_ that I left to visit my mom in the hospital. And Deku and round cheeks went to the dance a day early."

The confused look returned, "W-Wait, why?"

He sighed once more, "Like I said, I can't explain. It's too complicated, but I promise you when I get back I'll give you as good an explanation I can, alright?"

For another second, silence filled in around them once more. Katsuki trusted Kirishima, with his life even, but he couldn't just share this secret with him. It wasn't _his _to share, nor did he want to risk another person's life. He would have to come up with a way to skirt around the _real _explanation later.

"Ok, I'll do it. I trust you man, just make sure you tell me what's really up when you get back."

He couldn't help the grin that edged its way up his face, "Thank's shitty hair, _so_ _much, _and I will. I promise."

* * *

"Kacchan has it handled!" He exclaimed in quiet voice, running down the stairs to the first floor.

"Really? Are you sure?" Uraraka asked quickly, dragging her suitcase behind her.

He glanced back down at his phone, "Yeah. He's having Kirishima let everyone know tomorrow morning! It's gonna be ok."

Behind him, he could hear Uraraka let out a big sigh of relief. He too was relieved, after he remembered that Kacchan hadn't finished his lie, he was rather shell shocked to say the least. But after Izuku had received a text from him that let them know he had it covered, he calmed down a bit. Enough at least to follow Uraraka to her room and wait outside as she grabbed her pre-packed bag.

He was thankful she had taken the liberty of packing before hand as well. They would have been _really_ in trouble if she hadn't, and she had to somehow make sure all of her things were packed within a mere 20 minutes. He assumed that Kacchan had packed already as well, considering he didn't express any concern in his text. But then again, it _was_ Kacchan, for all they knew he was cursing himself out as he tried to zip up an overstuffed suitcase.

As they made it down to the first floor, his eyes immediately spotted All Might standing by the front entrance. He sported a form fitting suit, holding the jacket to his attire at his right side, and on his left his gripped his large suitcase. For a split second, he wondered if they were supposed to already be in their formal wear. But that thought quickly left as he realized they were only going on a plane. Formal wear would hardly be necessary for that, and if it was their current combo of sweatshirts and sweatpants would be a bit concerning. _But then why was All Might dressed up?_

It didn't matter, he would ask later.

Standing next to All Might, was their teacher, Aizawa sensei. His attire resembled what he had worn the night of his and Kacchan's fight. The dark hair that usually fell messily in front of his face, rested in a loose ponytail. A thin, black, long sleeve shirt with grey pants fit the rest of his attire. Seeing Aizawa there was not the most surprising thing that night, especially since they knew he was aware of the plan (in some fashion that is).

He chuckled at Uraraka's surprised, "Oh.." at Aizawa's attire. Not that he blamed her, going from his usual grimy and almost scary like manner of dressing to _this_, was a little shocking. Still, it was a bit funny seeing her react to the dramatic change their teacher could pull off.

"Midoriya, Uraraka, I'm sorry for the short notice. The committee only informed us a mere thirty minutes ago that they would be sending their people tomorrow instead of Monday like originally planned." Aizawa explained, having noticed their arrival across the room. All Might seemed to pick up on their presence as well, somehow locking eyes with Izuku from the other side of the poorly lit room.

"It's alright Aizawa-sensei, it wasn't your fault." Uraraka said, picking up her pace to reach the two just a bit quicker.

There was an odd silence from All Might that radiated towards him - almost like he was trying to tell him something. The only problem, was that Izuku couldn't figure out exactly what that unspoken message was. Although, judging from the small glance he made towards his brown haired friend, it was likely it had something to do with Uraraka. Possibly, something to do with the fact that he saw them sleeping in the same bed earlier.

_Oh, that.._

All Might had said it was fine before, and in the midst of his rushed frenzy to get their things packed and worrying about Kacchan, he had almost completely forgotten about that slightly awkward exchange before. Well that was great, now All Might thought Uraraka and him were _much_ more intimate than they actually were. He hadn't realized that he wasn't moving anymore, so he jump started his legs and caught up with Uraraka.

"Have you heard from Bakugo on his plan," All Might asked her, "He was quite, angry, when I let him know of the time constrictions."

Before Uraraka could answer, Izuku chimed in, "Yeah, he just texted me saying that he had it covered. So we don't have to worry about that, I trust his word."

The others nodded, and they fell into a comfortable silence. A glance up at their homeroom teacher told Izuku that he was, as usual, exhausted. The surprise alert from the heroes committee in the middle of the night probably cut into his already small sleeping time. Come to think of it, everyone their looked tired. All Might had small bags under his already sunken in eyes. Uraraka definitely could use another six hours of sleep before she was fully well rested. Hell, even he could feel the small sting behind his eyes from the lack of sleep.

They'll sleep on the plane, no doubt. Hopefully they would, spending a 13 hour flight from Tokyo to New York _awake_ would be rather boring.

Taking his phone out of his pocket, he tapped on Kacchan and his message chain. His tired eyes squinted at the brightness of his phone, but they still re-read his words

_**I'm having Kirishima let everyone know in the morning, he's got it **_**_covered_**

An unwanted frown edged it's way onto his face. It wasn't that he distrusted Kacchan, but his brain wouldn't let him stop thinking of worst case scenarios. Such as Kirishima accidentally forgetting, or a few people in the class mishearing him. His thoughts were interrupted by a small nudge on his left side. He glanced down and saw Uraraka looking up at him. "Uraraka?"

"You ok?" Her voice was quiet, enough for him to hear, but not enough for their teachers to.

He sighed, locking his phone and slipping it back into his pocket. "Yeah, just... worrying. You know me."

"It'll be fine," she leaned into his side ever-so slightly, "Kirishima isn't one to mess around with stuff like this. He'll pull through."

He let himself cherish the small amount of warmth he felt from her half embrace, but taking a deep breath and nodding, he went back to reality. He knew she was right, Kirishima would handle it correctly. Deep down he had already known that. His smile came back and he brought his hand into a tight fist in front of his chest, "You're right. I'm sorry."

He could feel her tiny chuckle at his words, "Don't apologize idiot. Worrying isn't bad, it's just better to not let it get to you."

His head fell and a tiny bit of laughter followed, "Alright."

It took a few more minutes, but finally a half asleep and angry looking Kacchan came marching down the steps like a man on a mission. If it wasn't for his tiny fear of dying, he would have laughed at the scowl that had plastered itself on the blonde's face.

Once he had reached the group, Aizawa stepped forward to address them all at once. "Listen, I don't fully know why this is happening. All I _do _know, is that this is for safety of the class and yourselves. I trust All Mights word, and I myself will be doing what I can to help out here while they are interviewing your classmates."

A firm nod from the three kids is what he received, and that was enough for him to continue. "You kids don't need to know specifics as to how we are going to set up your disappearances to the committee. But, expect some odd behavior once you return. It will be hard to explain how three students weren't in school the same week they decide to investigate a possible traitor."

"Sir," Izuku started, raising his hand slightly, "What do you mean exactly when you say odd behavior?"

A low sigh came from Aizawa's mouth, "What I mean, is we might have to deal with them investigating you three and your whereabouts. If that is the case, it's going to get a lot trickier."

"But with our current plan that shouldn't happen," All Might chimed in, stepping in front of the three as well, "you can trust us, our priorities are your safety."

With that, the five exited Heights Alliance with their bags in tow. Izuku's eyes were drawn to the dark outline of U.A. The towering glass structure being impossible to miss, while at the same time somehow blending in seamlessly.

It would be a while before he saw it again, so he took it in one last time. And with a final glance back at their dormitory, he continued on towards the car waiting for them at the front entrance.

The train ride was short

It only took around 20 minutes to reach the Tokyo International Airport. Izuku hadn't really know what he was expecting when he got there, but it had been much busier then he thought it would be. Not that it was _packed_ per say, but there was enough people there to keep the staff relatively busy.

Aizawa had stayed at U.A. after authorizing their leave at the main gate, so now it was only All Might, Kacchan, Uraraka, and himself. They moved quickly, shuffling around strangers as they made their way to checking. He took note of the rather large hat All Might was wearing, most likely to hide his identity. He had somewhat forgotten how easily the media could pick his presence.

As soon as they got up to the front line, All Might suddenly flashed his hero license and another document that seemed incredibly important. He didn't even know that All Might kept his hero license when he retired, but at the same time it didn't make much sense for him to get rid of it. Next thing he knew, they were getting ushered into a side room where a separate line of security was held.

That was, _different_.

When he had flown with his mother in the past, they never went through a separate system. It was always the normal process, but he guessed a group of heroes _would_ be treated differently at an airport.

Or maybe _All_ _Might_ was just treated differently

Sometimes he forgot of the insane status his mentor held in the world. A former number one hero, probably with his own private plane - or at the very least a higher class expectancy while flying.

Once they actually made it onto the plane some of those questions were answered. It wasn't exactly _private_, but it was much smaller than the planes he had flown on in the past. If he had to guess it probably sat around 15-20 at max. A few others shared the flight with them, he didn't recognize them as pro heroes or anything. They were more than likely just high class citizens traveling on a more expensive flight.

Their seats were very different. They were in bunches of four, two facing the other two, a good amount away from each other. All of them reclined fully for resting, and they each came with a cup holder. _Extremely_ different to the normal airline seats he was used to.

Once they had started to sit down, he was ushered in by All Might who offered the window seat to himself and Kacchan. Both sitting down and facing each other, it was kind of hard to not notice Uraraka standing, dazed like she had just walked into a room full of gold.

"Uh, hey Uraraka? Is everything alright?" He asked, waving his hand to try and get her attention. Her face brightened for a second before she seemed to snap back into reality.

"Oh! S-Sorry!" Now with a small tint of red covering her cheeks, she hurriedly took her seat next to Izuku. "It's just, I wasn't expecting things to be this, um, high class."

It made sense, she had mentioned on more then one occasion that she and her family came from rather rough upbringings. He briefly recalled how she had told them her motive to becoming a hero was for the money, so her parents could retire without worry. It was such a noble cause in his mind, while she had called herself selfish and greedy. He didn't see it though, she was just trying to save her parents, that was amazing in his eyes.

He could see the amazement in her eyes as she leaned back into the hand stitched leather. Her hands grazed the sides of the chair, and the smallest of smiles appeared on her face.

"Yes, well, if not for planes like these, we would be swarmed with media and fans wanting autographs." All Might explained, sitting down on his chair as well. He rested the black jacket to his suit on his lap before leaning back into the headrest, "You probably haven't learned this in class yet, they usually don't teach this until your third year. But airlines have separate planes for heroes, and high class citizens who would be troubled to fly in normal planes - but don't find the need to own their own private jets."

That made a lot of sense. But still then, if All Might was protected from the media by this plane, then why was he dressed up like he was ready for an interview? "Sir? I was meaning to ask this earlier actually.."

All Might's head turned towards his, "What is it my boy?"

"Why exactly _are _you dressed up? It's a solid thirteen hour flight, and if this plane is meant to hide you from media and fans, why prepare for them?"

Their teacher let out a small chuckle, "Ah, well. Usually you would be correct, I wouldn't have much need for dressing up when flying." His head turned to look out the window at the dark sky lit up by the lights along the runway, "but we're flying to America for an event that is broadcasted on television around the globe. It is _extremely_ important, so the media will be camping all the major terminals and roadways in the city once we arrive."

He nodded his head, also looking out the window. The lights danced across the ground, filling the dark void that the night had created. In the window, the smallest reflection from the main lights inside the plane had caught his eyes. It was a girl, with blonde hair.

His eyes quickly turned to the right, and he caught sight of the girl. She looked to be around their age, maybe a year or two older, and sported a low hanging braid for her blonde hair. In an instant she had walked away, taking her seat on the other end of the jet.

Uraraka seemed to notice his sudden jolt, "what was that Deku?" Her eyes followed his, "What are you looking at?"

_'It's just your imagination, calm down' _He squeezed his eyes shut, shaking his head and letting out a small breath. For a second, and only a second, he swore he saw Toga. But he _knew _he was imagining it, the blonde hair was just enough for him to get a bit frightened.

_There was no way Toga could get on this plane. She's a wanted villain in Japan, she couldn't even make it into the airport._

"It's nothing Uraraka. Sorry, just... thought I saw something." His eyes lingered on the seat she had chosen down the aisle. He noticed Uraraka still looking worried, so he gave her a small, genuine smile that showed he wasn't lying - she relaxed after that.

_But why did he get the feeling that whoever he just saw was..._

"Wait hold on," Kacchan suddenly exclaimed, "What does that mean for us? If you're going to get mobbed by the media once we get there, what are we gonna do?"

"Well," All Might adjusted in his seat, leaning forward a bit to address all three of them more directly, "You three will be able to fly under the radar. I will give you all the details once we land, but essentially we're going to split up."

"W-Wait! Split up?" Uraraka asked, eyes wide with concern, "We're going to America right? How are we supposed to find our way around in a city we are completely unfamiliar with?"

"It'll be fine," All Might reassured, "Like I said, when we are about an hour out, I'll give you all the specifics of the plan. You'll be given directions, time stamps, everything you'll need."

The concern from Uraraka seemed to lessen slightly, but the pandering thoughts in Izuku's brain didn't. She had a really good point, if they were to split up in America, he doubted it would be easy to find their way around. But the words from All Might were enough for him to keep calm on the outside for now. Honestly, he was a bit too exhausted to voice any of his own concerns at the moment.

"For now though, try and get some rest. It's a long flight, and you all look like you need a good night's sleep." It was almost like All Might had read his mind.

As the plane took flight, he took note of the dimming lights around them. Kacchan was already passed out, utilizing the complimentary blankets and pillows that had been passed out moments prior. All Might was following a similar routine. Uraraka and himself were the only ones still sitting up, their blankets laying over them and their pillows in their lap.

"You okay?" He whispered, careful not wake up the two sitting across from them.

He could see her twitch at the sudden shift in pressure, and her hand suddenly gripped the side of her chair a bit tighter than usual, "y-yeah, sorry."

It was quite obviously her first time on an airplane. Not surprising, due to her family's financial situation. Still, the twinkle in her eyes as she seemingly felt the plane take flight was impossible not to gawk at. She wore a shocked and excited look as she gazed out the dark window into the night sky. The plane had finally found its altitude after a minute or so, and now it began flying straight.

She was still holding the side of the chair, a bit less tightly, but it was noticeable. He wanted to do something, but for a second he hesitated. His old nerves getting the better of him, stopping him yet again from doing something that he truly _wanted _to do. But then he remembered his newly found resolve. Like you mean it-

_Because you do_

Reaching over, his hand took hold of hers. He could hear her breath hitch as he gave her palm a reassuring squeeze. "Kind of cool right?

There was a second where she paused, before she squeezed his hand right back, "y-yeah."

"It gets a lot easier after the first time. It's kinda like your quirk you know." His eyes shifted from hers to the window on his left, "Floating above the ground, like no one else could reach us."

Their hands stayed locked for a few more seconds, before he reluctantly pulled away. Like they were in sync, their chairs both reclined back at the same time. He leaned back into the soft leather, placing his pillow behind his head and looking up to the ceiling.

"Good night Deku." He heard her whisper from his right. The lights in the cabin dimming even further as the plane began picking up speed through the air.

"Good night Uraraka."

_A few hours passed._

_And then a few more._

Until, Izuku opened his eyes. He was rolled over on his side, facing his friend. She was still asleep, her eyes closed and her mouth slightly open. His eyes lingered on hers for just a second more before he brought them over to the rest of plane.

The cabin was lit now, in fact, he could see the orange haze of the sun peaking through the windows. Thankfully, it didn't seem like many people were sitting around them. Something he hadn't taken note of before, his own exhaustion having eclipsed his priorities.

That meant they could talk freely at least. The only other passengers that were visible were towards the front end of the plane. A good ways away, not near enough for any one to pick up on their conversations.

The next thing he noticed was All Might. He too was awake, and it looked like he was typing away on his laptop. Kacchan's blonde hair peeked into the corner of his eye, telling him that he was also awake. His earbuds were in his ears, and he stared out the window, almost in a trance.

"Ah Young Midoriya," All Might whispered, "Good Morning. I hope you rested well."

"Good morning," he responded just as quietly, careful not to wake up Uraraka. He began sitting up in his chair, he definitely felt _much _better than before. "Yeah, it was a lot more comfortable than I was expecting."

"That's good to hear. We are about four hours out from New York, I was planning on giving you two another hour before I woke you up and explained what we are going to be doing."

_Four hours,_ he had definitely slept a long time. It was a thirteen hour flight, they left around 4:30; that meant it was around two 'o'clock - and Kirishima should have already told everyone by now.

In front of him, he could see Kacchan take out one of his earbuds. "Kirishima texted me, he said he let everyone know and that it went fine."

It was almost odd hearing Kacchan whisper, although it was definitely nice to see him being considerate to others. While he had definitely gotten better around him, other people weren't always as lucky. Nevertheless, Izuku let out a gentle breath, and nodded, "that's good to hear." It was one less thing he had to worry about at this point, and that was a big relief.

"I guess I'll give you two a heads up, I'll explain it again when Uraraka awakens." All Might closed his laptop, and leaned back into his chair slightly. "When we land the first thing their gonna check is your hero license."

Kacchan visibly flinched at the mention of a hero license, he still hadn't gotten his. The extra classes he _was _taking wouldn't allow him to receive his until around November.

"Bakugo, you're going to be a bit different. Essentially, those who have hero licenses, in this case you Young Midoriya and young Uraraka as well, are checked in through those licenses. Bakugo will be checked in along with me."

"I was actually meaning to ask you All Might," Izuku broached, "how _will_ our hero licenses work here? Do they count in different countries as well?"

"Well, technically they do." All Might pulled out his license from his back pocket, "When you receive it, technically it is valid internationally. In _some _countries it's a bit different, but in America you will have the same liberties the license gives in Japan..."

_Well, that was good news. If there was one thing he knew, they had a tendency to attract trouble._

"...But, I want you to seriously refrain from any hero work this week alright? Only under absolutely dire situations may you act, think of it like a vacation."

"A-Are you sure?"

"Yes," he brushed back his blonde hair, "we have to remember that we are first and foremost here to _hide. _Of course we can enjoy the festival and ball but you three are mainly here to keep the secret of One for All safe. I'd rather you avoid and publicity if possible."

Him and Kacchan firmly nodded at his words.

Soon the plane would land, and they would be in America. _America, _he had researched a bit of their culture before hand and it all intrigued him deeply. He had brought a brand new notebook just for notes on heroes and how it differs from Japan to America.

He was excited. Sure, All Might had a very good point; their purpose for coming is to keep the secret safe. Keep _them _safe. Time would tell if they could truly accomplish that goal.


	18. New Ground

**Alright - so before writing this I had to decide whether or not I wanted to include the language barrier. And after careful consideration, I have decided not to, mainly because it would throw a big wrench in where I want to take the story. So sorry but let's just pretend everyone can understand every language for story sake XD - it was basically like that in Two Heroes so ima just ride with it. Alright, love this chapter - enjoy!**

* * *

_Woah_.

America was, very different from Japan. Or at least, New York was different from Tokyo. She had been to the city a few times with her parents, back when they had contracting jobs for clients. Tokyo was always full of life, bright signs and shops littered the streets. It was jam-packed and always alive.

New York was, well, it was similar. It was also full of life, but it felt more spread out than Tokyo. At least, that's what it seemed like as they drove in their taxi through what looked like a more suburban part of the city. She had seen a sign after they had left from the airport that said "Queens - Flushing Meadows Park."

So she assumed the place they were currently was "Queens" - it sounded familiar enough with the American culture she had researched before they came. Apart of her wanted to voice her small curiosity - but that was when they had driven over a small bridge.

_Oh - _This must have been the _actual_ city portion of "New York City"

She could do nothing but stare at the seemingly endless sea of traffic, the hundreds of people holding tight to their umbrellas - crowding the sidewalks. And then there was "Times Square" as the Taxi driver had called it. Huge billboards lighting up blocks of stores, restaurants, _people. _The only word she could think of to describe it was, "Beautiful."

"I know right?" A familiar voice whispered to her left, staring out the window alongside her.

The beads of rain running down the glass obstructed their view slightly, but it made up for it by colliding the vibrant colors of the electronic signs. It was like staring at a rainbow two feet in front of them. So diverse, loud, incredible.

Glancing down to her left, she noticed Deku had already taken out a notebook. His hand moved fast as he wrote down what he was seeing, it was damn near impressive how he could write so neatly without looking at the page. But then again, she could recall him always writing in his notebooks so it was probably natural to him by now.

Farther to her left was Bakugo, who also was staring out his window. He wasn't making much noise, and his face didn't show much expression, but it was easy to tell, he too was mesmerized by the city. The lights dancing just past the glass illuminated his face with a plethora of subtle colors. He looked like he was in thought - and maybe this was a strange time to realize this but...

She was pretty sure Bakugo hadn't yelled once their entire trip so far. Which was... impressive? She only knew the loud-mouthed, angry, and sometimes harsh Bakugo. She knew that he had changed around Deku, she had overheard his apology to him months ago. But she didn't actually _know_ him? Maybe she should try and get to know the _real_ him better, this secret meant all of their lives would be entangled.

And part of her didn't like the idea of being so close to someone she didn't know much about.

"You're stop will be up to the left, it is the lobby of the Novotel, someone is waiting in there to assist in you checking in." The voice of the driver brought her out of her thoughts. He stopped the car abruptly and honked his horn a few times - _was that normal?_ Her eyes widened slightly, the stereotype of drivers in New York didn't seem to be an exaggeration.

"T-Thank you!" Deku suddenly piped in, startled as well by the sudden aggressive driving.

A few honks from behind them jolted her once more, _was it really this normal to be stopping in the middle of the street?_

The driver turned around to face the three, "Of course, here's your stop you can get out right here. Enjoy your stay in the city!"

"O-Oh, ok! Have a nice day!" She exclaimed, trying to hide her surprise. So, they were getting out in the middle of the road._ That was weird, right?_

Making it up to the hotel room was simple enough. After jogging through the downpour of rain - they had entered the lobby and Ochako nearly passed out. No one had told _her_ they were staying at the most expensive-looking hotel she had ever seen. She had a right to be a little flabbergasted.

After a few minutes of Deku coaxing her out of her trance, the three had spotted the awaiting serviceman who was supposed to help them. He had a trolley ready for their luggage and had easily checked them into their room.

Now, she stood in the doorway of _by far_ the biggest hotel room she had ever seen. Deku and Bakugo had walked right in like it was nothing special, but she was damn near shell shocked. It was _gorgeous._

There was a living room area right when they walked in the door, a fireplace with a large TV over it on the right. A couch facing said TV in the middle and what looked to be the glass entryway to a patio over on the left.

"Hey, mom! We just made it to the hotel." She heard from her left. A quick glance and she spotted Deku on the phone with presumably his mother. Come to think of it, she should probably call her parents as well. Of course, she had let them know that she was visiting America for a "school" event - but they were probably worried about how the fight was. They would also love to hear about how insanely expensive everything was - only with the added note that it was all pre-paid for of course.

That could come later though, they were busy and didn't need her to call just to brag about her fancy hotel room in America. Not to mention the time difference was probably offsetting her call, it was the middle of the night there, but who knew what time it was in Japan. She'd also look that up later.

In the meantime, she would let her eyes drift over the expensive carpet her bare feet were sinking into. Maybe the small two-step staircase which leads to a compact, yet beautiful kitchen in the far left corner. The hallway on the right probably leads to the rooms and bathrooms. They should probably remember to call rooms if there were enough rooms for everyone to begin with that is.

The faintest thought of her and Deku being forced to share a room, a _bed,_ however insensible and irrational it may be, floating in her mind for just a second. Of course, that would never happen, it was too circumstantial. But the very idea of it was enough to think of how it was like to cuddle up next to him. To bask in his warmth and just shut her eyes to relax. She had plenty of memories of when they had accidentally fallen asleep on top of each other; more than she would have liked to be truthful. All of those memories were dangerous for her mind. Every time she _swore_ her days of blushing and getting embarrassed over her undying love for Deku were over - she would shut herself up just like that. With her stupid memories replaying all of the times she and Deku were _just_ too close for friends - however _just_ far enough to remain that way. _Thanks a lot brain!_

Shutting her eyes for a brief second allowed those thoughts to disperse for the time being. Once she opened them she found Bakugo staring out the glass doors to their patio. Once again, that look of deep thought was on his face.

Curiosity getting the better of her, she found herself walking around the couch to come up behind him. Whatever was capturing his gaze was definitely something worth seeing, so she too peeked out the door. It was once again Times Square, although this time it looked fairly different. They were up a few floors, so they could see only the tops of people's umbrellas. But the show stopper was the bright lights shining from the electronic billboards - it almost looked like they were cutting through the thick falling rain, illuminating the dark and waterlogged sky, "Wow, that's really beautiful."

"Tch - it's whatever." Their blonde friend in front of her immediately walked away from the door, heading towards the couch behind them.

Bakugo was a tough cookie to crack. It was going to take some effort to get him to relax around her, but that would be fine. If he could come to be close with Deku of all people, she was sure she could break him eventually. Even _if_ it took a bit more than time.

Deku would enjoy the view as well, and she had heard him get off the phone probably thirty seconds ago now, "Hey Deku! You gotta see this."

As she turned to face him, he had already been looking in her direction. In fact, he was looking... at her? Their eyes locked for a brief second, before his widened, and then snapped down. He had already started shuffling over to her - but that's when she noticed that his _ears _were red.

_Had he been staring at her?_

She didn't have much time to answer that question, because just like that Deku had made it to her side, "W-Wow. You're right, t-that's really beautiful."

His stuttering had definitely been rarer lately, especially when it came to just normal things between them. So him stuttering the way he was _now, _was a bit concerning.

_If he was staring, then why?_

It didn't really matter, she guessed, it's not like it's a big deal. Well, actually it might be a big deal to _him. _She didn't care all that much, Deku was one to zone out in thought and not notice what he was doing until it was too late. Plus, if he wanted to stare at her, well he _could _do that. It's not like... she had a problem with it or anything.

But did he know that? Probably not, the most likely case being - he was currently feeling super embarrassed because he thinks she "caught him" or something. He didn't want her thinking any less of him - something along those lines at least.

She didn't want that. It was _Deku_ for crying out loud. Her left elbow bumped his side ever so slightly, "This trip is gonna be a bunch of fun."

Suddenly, she turned and smiled as happily as she could. Because the truth is told, she _was _happy. This was going to be a fun experience, no matter the real reason they were there. She wouldn't have Deku overthinking everything and feeling upset - not at all.

It only took a few seconds for him to calm down, and soon enough he was smiling back just as brightly. "Yeah, you're right! I'm excited!"

"Hey! Deku, Uraraka, look at this!"

They both turned around to find Bakugo, who had made himself comfortable on the couch. He had also chosen to flip the TV on. And on the screen was their teacher, All Might. Press surrounding him from every angle, microphones held up to his mouth and Detective Tsukauchi on his side. She didn't know he was coming as well.

_"All Might! Will you be speaking at the National Hero Ball?"_

_"Did you bring a date this time around?"_

_"How has your retired life treated you?"_

Ochako walked around the couch, Deku in tow, "He's really getting pressed out there huh."

"Yeah." Deku agreed, taking a seat. She sat down next to him.

"I assure you all, I will be holding a press meeting tomorrow and all of these questions will be answered." All Might explained, the camera picking up the couple of bodyguards that helped clear out the swarm of the press, "I am glad to be back in America, but for now I am a bit jet-lagged so if you would please excuse me."

A huge swarm of press suddenly cluttered the camera's footage - and the video cut back to a reporter, "That was All Might on this year's National Hero Ball. We will all be looking forward to the press conference coming tomorrow. Coming up next we have congresses decision on-"

"It looks like All Might's handling the press well." She noted, tuning out the reporter for the time being. She caught Bakugo crossing his arms in front of his chest and humming a small agreement.

Deku also nodded on her left, "Based on what he told us, he should be on his way to the hotel right now."

All Might had explained to them on the plane how everything was going to work. They would take two different taxis, one going directly to the hotel (theirs) and one going to a different spot close by to meet the press (All Might). Thankfully it looked like he was able to get by the tons of reporters with relative ease.

"While we wait, why don't we pick rooms?" She suggested, standing up from the couch and making her way towards the long hallway that contained each of their bedrooms.

She could feel Deku get up beside her, while Bakugo stayed firmly in his seat, "I don't care which room I get as long as it's gotta bed."

"Pretty sure all the rooms have that Kacchan." Deku chuckled, looking back at the slightly annoying blonde, "You got it though, we'll pick for ya."

To be truthful, she was kinda taken back by how comfortable Deku was joking around with Bakugo like that. But, it was only further proof that they were closer - no longer sharing an oddly tension-ed and toxic friendship.

They made it a bit down the hallway, enough for her to no longer hear the small, annoying murmurs coming from Bakugo. Her eyes were immediately drawn to the door at the very end. "Why don't we check out that room first? It's at the end so it's probably the best one right?"

"Yeah probably," Deku shuffled next to her, "Though we should probably give the biggest one to All Might. It's only proper with him being our teacher and all."

She hummed a firm agreement, "Still, I'm curious!" Picking up her feet, she began to walk towards the door. Once she got there, her hand reached out and turned the knob. She could hear Deku right behind her, so she quickly swung open the door. Her eyes widened at the sight of the massive room. This really _was _an expensive hotel. Wide wrapping windows, from floor to ceiling, covered an entire wall. A large doorway was wide open to the sight of a massive suite bathroom. A Jacuzzi, shower, and bathtub all filling the same room, so pointless in their placements yet so, _inexplicably_ rich that it almost made sense. And the bed, she had never seen one so huge. A large red duvet covered the soft-looking mattress that was shaped like a-

...

Oh.

...

_Oh no._

This wasn't just any suite. This was a suite meant for a couple. This was a _love _suit.

A quick, insensible thought of her sharing this room with Deku was enough to send her entire face into a blushing mess. She could feel it, the incredible heat that was radiating off of her cheeks.

_Stop thinking like that -_ What kind of friend thinks of doing stuff like _that_ with their best friend?

_A friend that is hopelessly in love with that best friend_

_Shut up brain! _She was supposed to be repressing these feelings! Being as close as she was with him was more than enough, she didn't need anything more. Anything more might ruin things, anything more might stop them from reaching their goal.

_It's not stopping Kaminari and Jiro..._

Repressing the urge to grab her head and physically shake it, she chanced a small glance back to Deku. It was risky, her face was probably a huge tell to her thoughts. But he had been quiet so far, most likely a bad sign, although it may mean that he didn't correlate what she had.

She nearly chuckled, like _Deku_ of all people wouldn't put those things together.

This was proven by his face. He too was, well, he was _definitely_ blushing. His cheeks were a deep shade of red, but something that took her by surprise was the smirk on his lips. He was, _chuckling to himself? _There was that new Deku again, she needed to get used to that.

"Heh, I'm not sure All Might's gonna appreciate having to sleep on a heart bed."

_Why had she been getting so worked up again?_

Almost as if her previous mental breakdown hadn't just occurred, an involuntary giggle escaped her lips, "y-yeah." she stammered out.

Thank god for Deku. To be honest, ever since he has gained this almost smooth-like comfort around her, it has made not getting flustered much easier. Almost as he reassured her that it was ok, they were friends, and she didn't have to overthink anything. He may be flustered, but this obviously wasn't affecting him as much as it was her. It made it easier to brush her crazed feelings aside.

Or, _maybe she was just finally accepting it..._

As if on cue, he began laughing a little harder, "M-Maybe we should give this one to Kacchan!"

Shaking off her thoughts, a cackle escaped her lips, "Oh god no! He'd be so mad!"

The playful glimmer in his eyes shined brightly, and she watched as his smirk only grew. "Hey Kacchan!" he called, turning around and jogging back to the open living area.

"N-No! Deku stop he'll kill us!" She frantically whispered, trying her hardest to hold in the laughter that was fighting to escape her breath.

"Your rooms the one on the end!" He called right before she could stop him.

"Got it."

The laughter finally poured out, it probably didn't help that Deku had collapsed in his silenced laughter as well. She couldn't help but cover her mouth in an attempt to hold back the loud noise of glee. However, a loud "haha!" had escaped right before she could.

"What the hell are you two laughing about?" A loud, angry voice shouted from the living room. She could hardly hold herself back, but it kinda sounded like he was getting closer.

"N-Nothing Kacchan!" Deku scrambled, holding down his cackles for a short moment, "Just a joke!"

"What the-" the blonde turned the corner and eyed the open door at the end of the hall. For a short moment, he peered into it, seemingly spotting the heart-shaped mattress and matching duvet. His eyes glanced down to herself and Deku, who had collapsed onto the floor in their giggles. "..._rrgrrrr..._"

_W-Was that a growl?_

"BAKUGO STOP-"

"_UWAA_! _KACCHAN!_ WE'RE SORRY! NOT IN THE HOTEL! _STOP_!"

* * *

Izuku realized that coming to America meant having to adapt to their culture. Having researched some of this particular topic, he knew that the food tended to be greasier, heartier, heavier than those he would usually eat in Japan. Knowing this, he had expected to only eat smaller portions of the food.

_Oh how wrong he was_

In his defense, he had never thought something as simple as _pizza_ could taste so amazing. He had tasted pizza before, the ones in Japan being smaller and usually sold in vendors around the less suburban areas - but the pizza he was eating _now_ was on another level.

"How's the food?"

Looking up to his mentor, Izuku beamed as he chewed the pillowy, yet crunchy bread in his mouth. All Might had come into the hotel room carrying three boxes of the delightful food with him not too long ago, and just when he had thought he couldn't love the man anymore.

"It's amazing!" Uraraka exclaimed, having swallowed before he could.

All Might simply gave a chuckle at that, "Yeah, the one thing I missed most about America was the food. Lunch Rush is great back at UA, but man nothing beats a slice of pizza." The man seamed to eye how many pieces had already been eaten, and laughed a bit wearily, "I'm glad I chose to get three, Bakugo and yourself Midoriya have eaten 10 slices combined. It's a good thing though, with the amount you all train you need to eat a lot to build up your energy."

Those words reminded him of something he was planning on asking, "Oh, All Might! I was wondering if there was a gym in this hotel so we can keep up with our training."

"I believe there is," he pondered for a moment before getting up and walking over to the small table by the door, he looked to be glancing at a manual of some sorts. "Yes, here it says the gym is on the first floor next to the pool area. It is open from five in the morning to six at night."

"Oh that's good, I'll be able to wake up for my normal morning workout."

Some of his classmates, notably Mina, looked at him like he was crazy for waking up at 4:30 in the morning to do a pre-school workout. But after training for One for All, he sort of got in the habit of working out really early. It helped keep his body in shape and he honestly enjoyed it, his mind was much clearer after his morning routine.

"I don't know if I'll be able to get up that early," Uraraka said to his left, "I'd be happy to join you later on though."

He chuckled, "It's alright Uraraka, I know I wake up way earlier than most - we can definitely get in a good training session after lunch though!" His hand raised to a fist, smiling brightly, she followed suit. He briefly wondered if Kacchan would join him in the morning, but then he remembered his obsessive nature with his sleep schedule on weekdays.

In fact, his blonde friend had already turned in for the night. Having scarfed down the pizza and stormed off ranting something about his schedule already being thrown off by the plane ride.

"Oh, All Might we forgot to tell you," Uraraka suddenly exclaimed, "There are only three bedrooms so Bakugo and Deku are gonna share, and your room is the one at the very end of the hall."

He had almost forgotten that, thank god for Uraraka. _Well, _now his mind was on whether or not Bakugo had already fallen asleep - and in hand with that, whether or not he'd have to sleep on the floor or not...

"Oh, did I forget to tell you three?" All Might's hand came to the back of his neck, "I have my own room here in the hotel."

"O-Oh!"

"Sorry! My room is across the hall, I specifically asked for a room with three bedrooms for you three, so you each have your privacy!"

_Well, that made things much easier._

"Goodnight All Might."

The door closed, and that left himself and Uraraka alone in the room. It was, kind of quiet for a few seconds, before he turned around and saw her stretching her arms up. Her hands came to the bottom of her hair, and they raised on either side, pushing up the long tufts of brown locks in the process.

_Why was that so attractive?_

He nearly coughed out loud as the thought crossed his mind.

A sudden clap snapped him out of it, "Alright Deku, I think we should hit the hay. No use in staying up and doing nothing - we can just do that tomorrow!" An airy laugh followed her words, enticing him to follow her lead with a small chuckle.

"Y-Yeah," - _stop stuttering -_ "I'm kinda glad I don't have to share a bed with Kacchan anymore. Was kinda dreading an accidental explosion in the middle of the night."

Her legs floated over to the hallway containing their rooms, "But now you get to sleep in the _romantic_ sweet Deku! I'm jealous!"

If not for her teasing laugh, he would have probably gotten a little angry. Then again, his version of angry wasn't all that impressive. "You know, I don't seem to recall us discussing who would get that room."

"Oh really?" a playful smirk crept its way onto her face, "Well if it bothers you _that_ much I can always just go repack my suitcase and move _all _my stuff over to the other r-"

"Ok ok, I get it!" He whined loudly, getting a chuckle from her, "I'll sleep on the heart bed."

Within a few seconds, her cheeky laughter was replaced with a warm smile. Her eyes closed as she beamed towards him, "Have a goodnight Deku. I'll see you in the morning."

The flutter of colorful wings sent shivers down his spine. A flapping sensation that didn't seem to go away whenever she was around. Those damn butterflies were flying around in his stomach again.

"Yeah, Goodnight Uraraka."

The small, beautiful insects never seemed to leave him alone when she was in his presence. Taking every ounce of her beauty as fuel for their never-ending migration. It felt like all the wonderful things about her were suddenly thrown in his face. All the amazing quirks that rested in her true self shined brighter than ever.

Once again, he is reminded of his feelings for her.

The soft, ruffled silk beneath his form felt so cold. He was surrounded by a warming blanket, but the shiver on his skin was real. He could feel the fabric hugging his body, but why did it not seem to make any difference?

Once again, he is reminded that he's alone.

But he wasn't - _right? _

He wasn't alone in this secret anymore. He had Kacchan, he had Uraraka, he didn't have to bear the burden by himself any longer

Not to mention in reality he had two of his best friends only a room away from him. His mentor, his idol, his teacher All Might was only across the hall. He had classmates, _friends_ waiting for him back in Japan. His _mother_ was waiting for him back in Japan.

_But...who was he kidding?_

None of that was the loneliness he felt. No, the cold, aching loneliness was caused by the one person that brought him so much warmth. The one person he could rely on as not only his best friend but a holder of his treasured secret.

The one person that he wanted to hold in his arms.

The heat rising to his face was enough to tell him to stop thinking like this. Stop imagining it, stop wishing for it, just _stop. _

Maybe it was the heart-shaped bed, maybe it was because it was meant to be shared with another person. Or maybe it was because he _wanted _more. He wanted to _hold_ her, too, _kiss_ her, to just, _be_ with her.

But he _couldn't _stop.

_Unless..._

_No_

What would she even say? If he just, confessed like that. Would she reciprocate his feelings? Probably not. Even if he wanted to give himself leeway, and just pretend like she _did _feel that way about him -

_"You two probably think a lot alike."_

_-_ Kacchan made too much sense sometimes. His words bounced around his brain, the premise of his own worries being hers as well echoing. She has goals, just like _he_ did. Why should he stop her from reaching them? She wouldn't want to stop him.

But if she thought similarly to him, then wouldn't that mean that she too is...

His head shook violently, he couldn't think like that. He couldn't start thinking _for_ her, that was a recipe for disaster. It was only about _him. _How he feels_._

How _did_ he feel?

He loved her. But did he want to tell her? Of course, he did, but how would that affect everything? Would it change their friendship? Would it change their goals? Would it hinder them from becoming heroes?

If she said yes, could they balance a relationship with their hero life? With _his_ destiny?

If she said no... would their friendship be ruined? Could he handle that?

He squeezed his eyes shut, forcing his head to turn on its side. He needed sleep, and thinking about this wasn't going to help with that. It was only going to freak him out.

Only if there was someone he could ask with experience in this sorta thing - All Might hadn't ever been in a serious relationship so that wouldn't be much help.

A sigh escaped his lips as he let sleep overcome his troubles, he would worry about it tomorrow. Or, hopefully, these thoughts would finally give him a break after night's rest.

* * *

New York was... cold.

Perhaps it was the natural climate of the season. It did happen to be the back half of fall, back in Japan it would start getting a bit chilly around now. In America, it seemed to pick up the speed when it came to the winter forecast.

Of course, he could have dressed a bit warmer. His long-sleeve UA jacket equipped with a slightly larger collar was warm but not nearly enough to fight the chill of the wind hitting his face as he jogged. Only a few people were walking around him - a stark contrast to the busy nightlife he had remembered from their first night.

One thing he realized was this city truly did not sleep. Here he was, 4:50 in the morning, the night sky just starting to clip with light, and people were still up and moving around. It both baffled and amazed him that people could function on this never-ending schedule. The rotation of newcomers to the city might have been enough to keep the streets full at all hours. But it was impressive nonetheless.

His legs eventually came to a slow stop in front of their hotel - noting that the time was 4:58. The gym would be opening in a minute and he was excited to pump his muscles a bit. Their rigorous schedule at UA left him itching for some type of physical activity - that and he didn't want to fall out of his habits. He still needed to train, get stronger, become a greater hero for the future. He would keep to that.

As soon as he found his way to the gym, the worker let him inside with a welcoming smile. He would have entered the door immediately if it wasn't for the feeling of a presence behind him.

It felt... eerily familiar.

Head whipping around, his concerns were quelled when the comforting sight of brown hair filled his vision. He smiled, "Uraraka? What are you doing here?"

Her smile seemed to try and copy his own, "Hey Deku! You were going to work out right? I thought I'd join you!"

_That didn't make much sense._

"I thought you said you were going to sleep in?

For a split second, her eyes widened, as if she were fidgeting under his questioning gaze. He could see her hands wringing themselves behind her back. _What was going on?_

_"_Well_,_ you see I thought I'd just keep you company! To be honest I am a bit tired but I-I, uh, c-couldn't sleep well and I thought I'd check out the hotel a bit and stumbled upon you!"

Well, that explained her weird behavior. She was tired, Uraraka was never a morning person anyway. Though he was finding it increasingly difficult to understand why she suddenly decided to get out of bed and tour the hotel. _That_ still didn't make any sense to him.

This weird feeling became even more prevalent as he worked out. She stayed true to her word, sitting off to the side and occasionally throwing him some small words of encouragement as he lifted the dumbells over his head. Or at the moment, spotting him while he bench pressed a bit of weight.

Nothing crazy, 120lbs to start off. He didn't want to strain himself.

But he couldn't get Uraraka's behavior out of his mind. He couldn't understand it. His arms moved up and down, hands gripping the metal bar tightly, his eyes focused on her hands which hovered alongside the hovering pipe. They looked, different. Not different, but, he didn't know. Maybe it was the way she moved them? Was that crazy to think like that? Was he crazy for noticing?

In his mental game of questioning, he didn't happen to realize that the sweat building between his hands and the bar had become substantial enough to loosen his grip. It took only another second for the bar to slip out of his right hand.

Before he had even noticed he watched Uraraka's hands grab it. It took her a moment, her arms struggled a bit in the position lifting the weight. He could hear her heaving as she pulled it back up to rest on the rack above his head.

"Oh my gosh! Deku are you okay?" She ran around to his side, placing her hand on his shoulder as he sat up.

_Why hadn't she just used her quirk? _

_"_Y-Yeah! I'm fine, no need to worry! Thank you for catching it!"

He froze as he felt her hand touch the back of his neck. It felt, tingly. Like the first time they met each other when she had touched him and he felt like fainting from the contact alone. But this time it was much different. This tingly feeling wasn't from embarrassment or affection... it was from something entirely different. It felt foreign, nothing crazy, but foreign nonetheless.

It was almost as if she could sense his uneasiness because after a few seconds - her hand slipped off of his neck and moved behind her back.

"Deku! If you are okay I think I'm going to go back up to sleep, I'm feeling tired again haha."

"...O-Of course! Yeah, I'm fine! I'll talk to you later Uraraka."

She turned to leave, but right before she opened the door he called to her. "Uraraka wait!"

Her hands froze on the handle before she turned around wearing a bright smile, "What is it Deku?"

"Why... Why didn't you just use your quirk to lift the bar?"

A second. Only a second, where he could see her freeze. But then, she bounced right back and put a small, quirky smile on her lips, "Ah! You're right! I don't know why I think I was so tired I totally forgot about my quirk!"

"Oh," that made enough sense, "Y-Yeah! Sorry, I'll let you go off now, see you later."

The rest of his workout was filled with apprehension - he just couldn't place its source_._

* * *

UA high-school had never quite seen anything like this before. Or at least - one Todoroki Shoto seriously doubted it. It was a few moments away from complete and utter chaos. Their dormitory was essentially on fire and even his ice couldn't seem to tarnish the flames.

Lets recap.

They had woken up the previous day to the surprise information that Midoriya and Uraraka had left for the ball early. Not only that, but Bakugo was also gone in relation to his hospitalized mother.

Most of the girls were rather upset at that info. He guessed it was because they wanted to see them off - he wasn't quite sure. Shoto didn't understand the insanity behind his two good friends' apparent date. Yes, the hero ball is an astonishing event. One he has attended himself once before - being the son of the number two hero has its "perks".

But he couldn't understand the shock at their friend's sudden dating announcement. In all honesty, it made quite a bit of sense to Shoto. They were already close, best friends most would say, and one had to be rather dense to see there weren't any feelings between the two. It was only a matter of time before one of them acted on it.

A sudden shriek caused him to turn around in his chair. The sight of his classmates all covering their mouths and curling in on themselves let him know what had happened. Another random truth was spurted.

He sighed, at least Midoriya and Uraraka weren't around for this.

When they had been greeted by a man who looked to be in his late fifties, dressed in an old leather trench coat and mysteriously blue curls hanging out of his trilby hat - Shoto remembered being a bit cautious to the whole thing. It seemed off, he didn't like the feeling of what was coming next.

But when the windows folded down metal barriers, and the doors to the staircase and elevators were locked tight - those feelings had skyrocketed.

Apparently, for reasons unknown, they wanted everyone to stay in the common area for a week. He didn't even know what that man's purpose was - all he remembers is the man smiling and walking out of the room - and that was the last they heard from anyone.

And now, it was like a truth serum had been injected into each and every one of his classmates. Including himself.

"What was it this time?" He asked, walking over to the couch as his curiosity got the better of him."

"JIROU CALLED KAMINARI HOT!" Hagakure shouted before her clothes jumped back a bit and she whispered out an apologetic, "S-Sorry."

Shoto smirked, "Makes sense, their already dating."

The room froze

Wait- _did he just say that?!_

His smirk fell instantly and he could see everyone's eyes widen to an almost cartoonish size. His own mouth fell before he redirected his gaze to the ground. He didn't mean to say that - not at all.

Whatever spell the class was under had effected their willpower and freedom to speak - because he did _not_ want to say anything else. But his mouth moved anyway, saying the one thing on his mind, "I sense I have made a critical error with my words."

The silence following was damn near painful.

...This was going to be an entertaining week.


End file.
